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TRON - Expansion Chapter 01 (Arrival) Written by Leo_Todrius and Kayawk

Curiosity. It is the drive to seek out all that is new, all that is possible, all that is knowable... The desire to ever expand one's reality and potential. They used to say computers were invented to give humans the tools to satisfy their curiosity... Technology made them better hunters and gathers of information, but it made their hunger for new information grow. They made their technology more sophisticated and programmed it to find even more information for them. The frontier of knowledge expanded exponentially, faster than any human or program could have predicted... an endless sea of possibilities.

A gentle simulated mist drifted down across the slate colored silicon rocks of the outlands, glittering in the dim light that made it all the way to the outer edges of the system. The terrain was uneven, unrefined. Jagged rocks and mountains ran around the outer edge of the system, devoid of all creation or order... except for a perfectly cut hexagon that passed through the rock wall. The edges were smooth, the lines perfect. It was an anomaly of purpose, a beacon of order, and yet completely still and quiet. No movement, no power, nothing.

Time passed, silence persisted, but then change. In a single instant a singular beam of light appeared. The incredibly long, focused white line came from the other side of the gap, passing through and across the outlands before arching up into the sky on a slow incline. A static change, a point of light, more silence... and then it came.

Without warning a massive structure emerged from the gap, riding along the beam of light like a majestic creature. The solar sailor was led by four double pronged sails, black ribs holding together the transparent blue hexagonal latticed material. The entire mechanism slowly rotated as the craft glided into the system, the lights of the transport pods glimmering off of the stony ground until it rose up and away from the outlands, climbing to newer destinations.

The looming columns of silicon, the steep slopes of mountains fell away as the solar sailor climbed ever higher. The ravages of the wild and untamed lands gave away to a gleaming beacon of light, order, creativity and life. A massive city sprawled across the center of the system, gleaming towers of white and teal rising up toward the clouds above, intersected by streets and highways of obsidian. Countless optical lines ringed the city, more streamlined crafts following them just as the solar sailor followed its track... but the city was still well in the distance.

The solar sailor had continued on its way, climbing into the heavens toward a floating platform well separated from the city itself and held aloft by gleaming violet engines beneath. The platform surrounded the beam of light, a structure comprised of glass and black, neon purple lines running across its surface. Arched ribs stretched over and under the track of light, giving the solar sailor ample room. The massive sails on the craft began to rotate and fold away, tucking down as the craft slowed, pulling into the platform and coming to a stop.

With the solar sailor stopped, a field of fiery red energy snapped on in the sailor's way, a firewall to protect the system from whatever threats could have come from the network. The doors to the platform's main building opened and security began to emerge. Tall, lithe figures clad in black bodysuits and glistening obsidian helmets, radiating purple light from the strips and lines that crossed their bodies. Ridging black rings lined with purple rested between their shoulder blades, the ever important identity discs.

The security moved along the solar sailor, moving onto the craft and down the aisles between the pods. The glass doors slid open to reveal the passengers inside. Countless programs from dozens of Tron systems had traversed the internet to come to the city. Outside the speakers snapped on.

"Programs, welcome to the city of EDEN. For mutual safety and well being this security screening is necessary. Your identities will be registered with the system during your visit. Local utility offices offer backup services in the unlikely event of deresolution. Please cooperate with EDEN security and your stay will be a pleasant one. Welcome to paradise." The recorded voice echoed throughout all of the compartments.

Programs turned to look at the security, taking in the appearance of the local system. The programs came from countless systems, many with their own aesthetic. Most followed the default form of the Tron prototypes, black bodysuits with strips of color and human appearance... but there were some variations. A pair of blue clad individuals stood near the front of the sailor, offering their identity discs to the security. Further back other programs looked to a helmeted program, the glistening curve of the helmet interrupted by two flaps that rose above the rest like ears on an animal.

In all of the curiosity, all of the contemplation, few had glanced to the very back of the solar sailor. One program was still resting on the bench like seat, one leg propped up on the cushion while his other was sprawled out indecently wide. His two arms rested across the back of the seat and he gazed out at the others. His black bodysuit was rather conventional but the strips and lines of energy across his body cast out a neon green light, a green that matched the irises of his eyes.

The program slowly abandoned his reclining position, moving to stand. No identity disc marked his back. His hair was rather short for the most part, the back fluffed up and flared out a bit... but two long strips of hair hung down on either side of his face, dropping down below his chin. In all, his hair was such a dark green it seemed almost black, but the tips of his abnormal bangs were the same neon green that made up the rest of him. He watched as the security guards made their way along the aisles toward him, registering all the programs along the way.

Two guards made their way down the aisle somewhat robotically, fulfilling the task they were meant for as they scanned each and every program, all of whom stood docilely as it was determined whether or not they were undesirable to the system they all found themselves in. None had been deemed as such, not yet. Vice watched with interest as the violet guards moved along, passing a glowing white baton along the identity discs of every one, program by program. Vice knew there was little time before he'd have to make a decision.

As the security guards got to the last row, where Vice stood, one sensed somewhat instinctively the lack of an identity disk, and it visibly set him on edge, his stance becoming a little more anticipatory. It was a strike one for his suspicion, and he grew a little closer to making his baton much more dangerous for this stranger.

"No disk?" the first guard said in more of a command than a question. Vice's eyes widened softly in a false expression of concern.

"I am so sorry... I didn't know I needed one, my system isn't as advanced as this one." Vice said softly, looking at the glistening helmets of the security programs. The second guard's head tilted to the left slightly in a questioning gesture, and it was clear that he wasn't entirely sure about the truth of this excuse. The first pointed.

"You'll be coming with us for further examination. If you pass satisfactorily, you will be outfitted with a disk. If you do not, you will experience deresolution." he said. The second guard placed a rough hand on Vice's shoulder, pulling him forward as the first guard stepped in front of him, until Vice was standing between the two guards as they proceeded to exit the train. "What a friendly place you have here..." Vice murmured, walking along between the two guards, the curious eyes of the other programs falling onto him... but Vice didn't make much more of a fuss. It wasn't in his nature to gather a lot of attention. He followed along, the green lines across his hips swaying back and forth as he was escorted from the solar sailor. He glanced back over the guard's shoulder to the craft, resting in place before the firewall.

Neither guard answered his remark as their footsteps echoed throughout the platform, and the one in front of Vice made a hand gesture once all three were standing on the station proper. The solar sailor began to glide forward slowly, the doors closing. Being one of the few ways into the system, traffic was fairly steady, and if this stranger stood up to scanning, he could board another sailor. Vice sighed gently, watching the firewall snap off as the craft's sails folded back out, tugging the ship forward along the unwavering beam of light. Before long it was well on its way to the city, leaving Vice and the guards alone on the floating platform... Vice hoped it would only be a temporary setback. The guards seemed to follow a white line on the ground as they escorted Vice off the platform and through a door that led to an observation deck of sorts. The far wall was a massive window, through which they could see the solar sailor glide ever-forward, nearing the civilization of the city. In the room were a few other guards, who stood at attention when the three entered.

"You will be scanned," commanded one of them, who began to move closer to Vice, holding an unknown contraption which was dimly glowing on one end.

"This is all for one of those disc things?" Vice asked softly, moving toward the scanner platform but not yet stepping onto it, "I'll cooperate of course, but, can I look at one of yours? I've never seen one up close." This question caught security off guard. They were used to an almost fearful deference from programs, not intellectual curiosity. The guard holding the scanner held the harmless tool defensively, like a weapon, and the others seemed tense, visibly thinking as they were unsure how to act.

"This is not part of protocol." One uttered. Finally, the one that had been standing in front of Vice acquiesced, turning his back on the program, and stepping backwards to allow him to see.

"Oh wow..." Vice said in clear admiration, "You programs are so lucky... You must have an amazing user here. The design is so delightful, so streamlined." Vice said with awe. Still, facing away from the other guards toward the back of one, it was clear to see his smile was almost predatory in nature. He lifted his hand, resting fingers against the smooth black disc mounted to the guard's back, tracing around the glowing purple ring before his fingers began pressing through the metal, into the disc. The purple light flickered, code appearing and disappearing in the center. Countless lines of code, white and blue, wrapped together into complex forms of data... but the same green that emanated from Vice's bodysuit began filtering into the code. The disc continued to flicker and slowly, beneath the helmet that hid the guard's face his eyes were shifting from a dull black to a soft emerald green color. The guard appeared to the outside world not to react, but on the inside, he was changing quite rapidly. He understood all that he needed to about Vice.

He knew that he was right, correct, perfectly acceptable to the system. Good for it, better for it, even. He grunted a bit inside his helmet inadvertently, and his hands hung uselessly at his sides. He barely hung on to his baton, and he soon backed up a little bit more, almost leaning onto Vice now. Vice grinned wider, delving his hand further into the guard. The purple lines seemed to glow a bit brighter for a moment before returning to normal. Vice slowly withdrew his hand. He was stunned it had taken that long, that there had been so much. He'd never seen a program with such a large file size before. It intrigued him. After a moment of true wonder, though, Vice knew he had to get back on track.

"Simply amazing..." Vice murmured, looking back at the others, "You really do have an amazing system." he said happily before looking toward the guard he had infected, "So what do I have to do to get one of those discs?" he asked softly, planning out his next move, looking at the floor of the room. The infected guard exhaled loudly when Vice removed his hand, and was very close to turning over his own data disk, anything for this program, but the guard holding the scanner repeated, now agitated;

"You will be scanned! Data disk acquisition is dependent on the following results." Two of the other guards nervously drew their batons, though not for the purpose of scanning. All of this made no sense, was outside their programming. They could only respond to the best of their ability. The infected guard, green eyes glimmering unseen behind the black visor, felt as though he was seeing his comrades in a new way, and he wished, more than anything, that they could see him, and this wonderful new program in the way he could. If only he could help them...

"Scanned..." Vice murmured, looking back to the others for a moment, "I'll tell you what you'll find if you scan me." Vice said, his legs spreading wider, his body lowering down toward the floor, his hand reaching out to touch the surface. He smiled wider, "A virus." he whispered. As his hand touched the floor, wild neon green lines of crackling energy arced out, cutting through the obsidian black and neon white that formed the room. The energy looped around the feet of the four uninfected guards before it climbed up. The energy coiled around their legs, anchoring them to the floor, holding them upright. As they struggled, they only seemed to make the energy move faster.

It slipped across the guards' torsos, coiling around their arms before it seemed to harden, trapping the arms in place. Slowly Vice rose back up to his feet, but his clothing had changed. The clean, neat, even circuitry lines of his bodysuit were gone. In their place were wild, jagged gleaming green lines that pulsed and throbbed with energy ere was a clattering as batons and the scanner were dropped to the floor, as well as cut-off shouts and groans as the guards were effectively disabled. The infected guard turned, now that he was capable, and scrutinized the situation. Behind his mask, he smiled, and he grinned wider when he saw the pulsing energy emitting from this wonderful stranger. He put a hand on Vice's shoulder, not the rough manhandling from before, but rather a show of solidarity. He then turned and went to a panel on the wall, grabbing a blank data disk. This was difficult for him, as he didn't want to avert his eyes for even a moment.

"So this place is called EDEN? I read a file about a place called that once." Vice said as he moved about between the four guards, observing them carefully, "Like the curious people there, I am after information... I don't want to harm your system; I don't want to derezz anyone. I just want a little leeway, a little help." Vice said. He moved to stand behind the two of the guards restrained and held closer to the center of the room. He lifted his hands slowly, caressing both of their identity discs with his hands before he moved his hands to the center. As his fingers passed through the invisible center, the space between the inner edges rippled.

The code of the guards flickered and appeared and began to shift as Vice's infection spread... all within easy view of the other guards held in place behind them. Vice was enjoying making them watch. The guard returned with a data disk, and let out a moan as he was filled with an indescribable happiness at seeing the others become infected. Soon, soon they would see things the way he did. He gave the disk to Vice, saying in a halting, happy voice, quite unnaturally;

"Y-you ar-re per-perfect f-for this sy-system." He himself then rubbed the chest of one of the guards undergoing infection, driven by a desire that was entirely alien to him. He looked at Vice, and almost childishly asked, "W-what i-is happ-pening to m-me? It is good, but... what..." he trailed off.

"You are becoming my vanguard... a servant of me and my master." Vice said with fondness, "What a fine program you are. So strong, so loyal." Vice whispered as he removed his hands from the two newly infected guards. The restraints loosened, leaving them shuddering gently as their own identity discs flickered. Vice turned, looking to his last two captives, "Now you two... Do you have anything to say before I welcome you to your new version of life?" The two stood in stoic silence, while the three others seemed to cluster together, quietly examining each other as though they hadn't been with each other every 'day' of their 'lives.' They touched, murmured and moaned quietly, feeling each other. Each saw the other as something magnificent, something worthy of their master's praise. One stepped forward and repeated.

"We are loyal, we are strong..." The three then stood in a formation behind Vice, eagerly anticipating the infection of their two comrades. Vice stepped between the remaining two guards, facing out toward the window that overlooked the city in the distance. Vice moved his arms back at the elbows, fitting his hands into the gap in the center of the discs of the last two guards. From the very center of their being they could feel their lives changing, their purposes. In the faint reflection of their own faces in their visors they could see their eyes becoming a rich green in color, contrasting with the stark purple assigned to the security of Eden. Vice remained, infecting them slowly, gazing upon the city with awe and curiosity. He hadn't traveled much yet. Eden certainly was a splendor. The three stepped forward, one electing to hold one of the changing guards.

"This is... right." Another commented

"What more can we provide you, sir?" The final asked as he affixed the disk to Vice's back. Behind them all, a quiet hum began to grow slowly louder, and the guards all knew that another sailor would be arriving soon. The helpful guard asked again, "What orders will you give us. Please, sir, give us purpose..." Vice gasped softly as the identity disc settled into his back. He closed his eyes, lifting his head upwards. The inner ring of light cycled, becoming a bright neon green before the outer ring flashed softly for a moment. Vice exhaled slowly and removed his hands from the last two guards. He turned slowly toward his five infected servants. As they watched the viral pattern on his body shifted, returning to a pattern that looked like many other programs.

"Your purpose... will be to do exactly as you have done before, with one or two exceptions." Vice said, slowly walking between them, facing them from the other side, "Protect this system from outside threats, do whatever you were designed to do by the user... unless it keeps me from learning everything I can. Every so often I will be sending shipments back to my own system. Information, data, maybe even programs. You'll let the shipments out and you won't report it. If you find anything in this system you think can help me, you'll work to make that happen. Do you understand?" Vice asked softly, looking at the five strong programs. In unison, each and every one snapped off a crisp salute before moving to pick up their dropped gear, batons and scanner.

"It will be done as you please." The first guard assured. The hum outside grew ever louder, before the volume stabilized, and it was clear that a sailor was stationed out at the platform. The two guards who walked in with Vice walked outside to begin scanning the incoming pods. The three inside returned to their old posts, though they seemed much nearer each other, now, and quiet murmuring emitted from them occasionally. Vice walked over to the closest guard, looking him up and down for a moment.

"You programs are bigger than the ones from my home. Do you mind if I perform an experiment?" Vice asked softly. The guard saluted and proclaimed, "No, sir, do anything you see fit." He assumed an 'at-ease' posture and the lifeless mask stared straight ahead, waiting for Vice to act. Though it wasn't apparent, he was very eager, eager to do anything to serve. Vice put his hands on the guard and turned him around to face the other way. Once more Vice's hands returned to the guard's disc, but this time they were gentler. They tapped the invisible surface to bring up the code once more, moving through it all. His eyes scanned it all with ruthless efficiency before he came to a stop, his head tilting.

"I have never seen this protocol before..." Vice murmured, intrigued. He was a virus designed to collect information. The unknown was extremely appealing, and this code was very unknown. He rested his chin on the guard's shoulder, "I'm going to enhance this code, see what it does." Vice said softly as he pressed his finger into the display again, the code glimmering in green light. The guard unconsciously leaned into his master's hold, and nodded wordlessly. Then, with a grunt, he staggered forward slightly, and there was a very, very quiet squeaking sound, the source of which wasn't immediately obvious. It was coming from the pressure now being exerted upon the guard's suit as his body grew very slightly, his musculature expanding just enough to be noticeable before stopping. He groaned.

"Sir... What have you...? Feels... good..." before turning around, and a bulge was now present at his groin of the size that it would be the first thing noticed upon him. It was just large enough that a hand wouldn't quite be able to encapsulate it.

"What... is that?" Vice murmured softly. He reached down at the bulge, passing his hand over it. Shivers of electricity passed through the guard as it was touched, the sensations enhanced dramatically. The tight black of the bodysuit began to pull back, pixels of cloth disappearing to reveal the true source of the bulge. Vice was intrigued as the extension was revealed. He took it in his hand, feeling how soft and firm it was at the same time. The guard gasped quietly, and torn between the implied order of his master and this new pleasure filling him, he said, "I-it's

"a-a cons-struct of the u-user..." his voice shaky and clearly impaired. His knees were almost knocking, and he appeared close to dropping to his knees. The other guards in the room watched with a sympathetic interest, and one began to grope himself, visibly shuddering before returning to watch Vice and his lucky friend, of whom he felt a little jealous. That part of their anatomy had been dormant for all intents and purposes, never having occasion to be stimulated. It was as though they were all discovering fascinating new parts of their bodies, new levels of awareness filling their programming. Vice fondled the guard before him with pure curiosity before noticing the bulge forming on the others, a grin crossing his face.

"Pleasure..." he whispered in surprise and awe. He looked back to the guard before him, the member hard. He slowly closed both hands around the extension, the rubber and cloth firm and warm as they moved up and down the guard's length, squeezing and stroking. Vice saw little other way to interact with the member. He looked up at the guard, wondering if his experiment was working. The guard hunched over slightly, and set his free hand on Vice's shoulder for support. His hips moved forward and back in small spastic motions, and muffled groans came from behind the helmet. "Sir..." followed by incomprehensible vocalizations of pleasure. A bit of pre began to drool from the tip.

Vice's eyes widened in shock at how interactive it was. Slowly the virus leaned down. He could hear the solar sailor outside departing again. This experiment was too important to ignore. Vice gazed at the extension of the guard, the fleshy rod. He leaned forward and his tongue pressed to the soft liquid at the tip. He tasted it before he leaned forward, his lips brushing the tip before they parted to take it into his mouth. Shock filled the guard's voice.

"Sir?!" he exclaimed as he leaned into another bout of moaning. He felt terribly conflicted. On one hand, he felt almost insubordinate for 'stealing' this pleasure from his master, but on the other... he felt unbelievably blessed, rewarded by this program who meant everything to him. He was filled with a deep and abiding respect, and a love, really, on top of his unwavering loyalty. He placed his hand on Vice's shoulder, and leaned back against the wall. The other two watched with rapt attention, and as the two patrollers returned, they too watched with fascination. Vice moved his head back and forth, intrigued and delighted that the guard seemed to be enjoying this so much. Vice resolved to himself to copy the code into his own program... as soon as he knew how this protocol was supposed to end. Still, the bulges on the other guards seemed to fill him with an odd delight. He had awakened something in them from their creators.

In almost no time at all due to the guard's inexperience in this... regard... he reached his climax. He couldn't help but call out as hot cum spewed into Vice's mouth, and he grunted as his hips bucked forward into the warm wetness. Soon, he was panting and hunched over, looking at Vice with infatuated green eyes. The murmuring returned between the other guards as they observed this 'surprising' conclusion to this alien-looking ritual. Vice slowly slid off of the shaft, licking his lips, watching the changes to the guard's member. It seemed to be softening already, likely to return to normal. A smile crossed his lips before growing very wide.

"You do have an amazing creator... don't you?" Vice whispered. He looked to the others, holding out his hand, "Give me your discs for a moment." he requested firmly. All complied.

"He is nothing compared to you..." the lucky guard said as they all handed over their discs to Vice after a moment of reaching behind their backs. They now all stood in a loose circle around their master, postures subservient and expectant. Vice tapped into the code of the discs, one by one. Just as he had for his vanguard, he enhanced the construct from the user. He handed three of the discs back before pulling out his own disc. He reached into the last guard's disc and gripped the protocol in his hand before he tugged a copy out, sliding it into his own disc. It nestled into his creator's code, gleaming in golden light before becoming green like the rest. He handed the last guard's disc back to its owner and watched the others return their discs to their backs. Soon the bulges in their bodysuits began to swell tighter, larger. Vice grinned; pleased with his work... but now it was his own time. He had no idea what to expect, but he craved the new experience. Vice reached behind him, settling the disc back into its place. He closed his eyes, feeling the updated code take root.

There was a moment of quiet peace as each of the others received their 'rewards' and they took in the new feelings. One by one, their bodysuits slid open at the crotch, revealing the newly enhanced members, long and dripping. Some of the guards took each other in hand, squeezing and pleasuring, experimenting. One sat back as another dropped to his knees to service him with both hands. Vice's vanguard stood forward, and groped at Vice's groin, eager to serve and return the favor.

Vice gasped sharply, his eyes rolling back into his head. The virus fell to his knees, shuddering and moaning. He had rudimentary sensation before, but THIS! The floor against his knees, the guard against his groin, everything... everything felt so much. Vice moaned, his chest rising and falling in heaving gasps. Soon he froze, his back arched as the black bodysuit began to contort, groaning as the rubber and cloth was bending out of the way for his swelling member. The cloth pulled back to reveal his own manhood, ten inches long and dripping with the clear liquid. Vice was speechless. He looked to his vanguard almost helplessly, overwhelmed by what their user had given all his programs.

The vanguard stepped in, acting in a way that Vice was currently incapable. He guided Vice's back to the floor, the virus's shaft quivering defiantly in the air. His rubbery hands gripped the shaft, moving forward and backwards, applying steady warm friction. Soon, as precum spurted more and more, the guard gave in, and the lower half of his mask split open and slid clear, revealing the lower half of his face, which dropped to engulf Vice's cock, as the vanguard's master lay on the ground. Vice let out a shocked grunt of delight, grabbing the back of the Vanguard's helmet with his hand, pushing his head down to the hilt of his shaft. He buried the guard's face in his groin before letting him slide back a bit. Vice shuddered, a writhing mass on the floor.

The guard, 'educated' by this encouragement, began bobbing his head up and down quickly, deep-throating Vice in a way that made it clear that the vanguard held little regard for his own comfort when it came to pleasing the virus. His tongue wrapped and lapped up and down the shaft as his lips rubbed it's length, his head constantly moving. Vice's moans grew more intricate, drawn out, and deep. He tilted his head back against the floor, letting out a roar of bliss. As Vice writhed, the other guards could see his canine teeth were abnormally long and sharp in his mouth. Vice continued to make quite a fuss in his pleasure before once more his back arched. He buried his Vanguard's face in his groin and held it there as more pleasure than he could process swept through his body. He couldn't think of anything for a moment before he realized his new shaft was spraying copious, thick, viral cum into the guard. Vice's code was streaming into the Vanguard. Slowly the guard's muscles began to swell again, his shoulders growing more broadly, the tips of his gloves starting to stretch more into points than soft tips.

The guard drank down the thick liquid, every drop. His mouth was locked to Vice's shaft, licking frantically, milking it for all it was worth before he fell over, exhausted. He felt his own body before twitching on the floor as he grew larger, holding his changing hands up before his eyes. As the bodysuit groaned from the pressure, his muscles still pushing outwards into rigid definition on the guard's suit, he groaned out, "Th-thank you, mas-ster..." before he was lost in the reverie of his own pleasure and growth, jerking around on the stark black and white floor, the white taking on a greenish tinge.

Vice lay on the floor as well for some time, watching the other guards pleasure themselves. He felt his form revert to the default and he reached down, letting the bodysuit close over his shaft, although the bulge was still somewhat there. Vice took a deep breath, composing himself when he heard a familiar sound in the distance. Another solar sailor was arriving. Vice clambered up to his feet, looking down at his vanguard. He smiled, reaching down to run a hand almost lovingly across the helmet.

"Be good, do your jobs. I'll be back to visit you all soon." Vice murmured softly. He turned, strutting out of the office and onto the platform, watching the sailor glide to a stop. He walked along the platform before stepping onto the craft, moving down the central aisle before one of the doors opened. He moved in, filtering through the programs to find his customary seat in the back.

"Programs, welcome to the city of EDEN. For mutual safety and well being this security screening is necessary. Your identities will be registered with the system during your visit. Local utility offices offer backup services in the unlikely event of deresolution. Please cooperate with EDEN security and your stay will be a pleasant one. Welcome to paradise." The recorded voice echoed throughout all of the compartments. Vice smiled wider.

Chapter 2 (Wasteland) Written by Leo_Todrius

A deep resounding thunder echoed across the turbulent skies, black and silver clouds ripping through one another in a seemingly endless tempest. From the darkness would come flashes of teal lightning, flooding the clouds with momentary color and glistening across the rugged landscape beneath. Enigma lacked the refinement, the grace of a true TRON system. There was no dividing line between the silicon colored slate of the outlands and the refinement of a structured, ordered city. It was a vast wasteland. For many cycles Enigma had been a mystery to its own programs. They had been created in a desolate wasteland, plentiful with only the bare essentials to keep them alive. They had been few in number in an impossibly vast environment. Then the objects had started to arrive... They seemed like forgotten relics from another place; vast obsidian buildings ribbed with light, sleek lightcycles to span the system in a fraction of the time. The programs had started to become more complex, glimmering with the lines of light the mysterious relics boasted. Rivers of glowing energy poured through the system, running through sharply cut gullies before cascading down cliff faces as waterfalls did in the real world. But the system was not devoid of creation.

The lightning was growing more intense, the bolts arcing out of the sky to strike several towers that rose like obelisks from the ground. The raw energy surged through them, the lines of the towers coming to life. Orange, yellow, red, purple. There was no pattern, no reason, no order... there only was the system, a true Enigma just as it was named. The storms were a dangerous but exhilarating time. The rivers ran to their banks, the lightning struck at random. It had the power to create and destroy. From the chaos of the storms came new programs... and those that had inhabited the system before set out to find them, to welcome them to their new life. One by one countless glowing white boats set out to drift along the rivers like canals, carrying the programs down the datastream.

The rivers flowed in all directions, most being fed by the great lake in the center of the system. The lake radiated light into the endless night. It was around this lake that the strongest signs of a city had taken root. Numerous towers had been clustered together, some towers had even been uprooted and merged horizontally into the others to create more complex buildings. The rough silicon ground had been etched away to create long roads that ringed the lake before radiating out in all directions. Custom lightcycles with thick tread moved along the roads, gleaming in countless colors.

The system was wild, unrefined... but there was an undeniable flow to it. The programs were ever productive, mining the raw elements of the system to create more and more complex tools. The rivers passed through collectors, feeding more stable energy to the population. Their existence was hard at times, but they knew their duty... They had been denied perfection so it was their job to find it, steal it, build it. They all waited for any opportunity to live up to their destiny... and it seemed another opportunity was fast approaching. A low tone began moving through the system, a pulsing sound that was growing slowly faster. Across Enigma the programs came to a stop, the sound falling upon their ears like the call of angels. A solar sailor was approaching the system... Another chance for the programs to claim their destiny.

The growl of lightcycles came at once as they all snapped to life, every single one heading northwest towards the port. The programs without cycles watched in awe and envy as those that did headed toward the adventure... and then the felt the reverberation of powerful engines vibrating through them into the very ground itself as a massive object passed overhead, radiating orange light. The craft was an incomplete construct, damaged code for a Recognizer... but it was enough to fly. The massive L shaped craft zoomed high above the system, heedlessly moving beneath the thundering clouds above. Nothing would keep it from the port.

Like a buzzing swarm the lightcycles and recognizer advanced, heading toward the pinnacle of creation of Enigma, the port. On the very edge of the system, built into the outer perimeter itself was a long enclosed tunnel through which a fiber optic line passed. It had been spliced into the network by the system's creator himself, integrated so seamlessly that solar sailors would utilize the path to get to their destination faster... unaware that they were passing through a trap. Without realizing, programs and data on the solar sailors left the abyss of the network to graze along the outside of Enigma, just close enough to be boarded by programs.

Those riding the lightcycles raced down the slope toward the port, crossing the narrow bridges that led to the walkway along the outer edge of the port. The air hummed with the power of the Recognizer as it too arrived, ready for anything that might face them. Programs leapt off the lightcycles, moving toward the obscured doorways into the port... but something was different, something was off. The tone that had indicated the arrival of the solar sailor was slowing, coming to a stop... No solar sailor ever stopped in Enigma. It was not an official system, it did not appear on the network. The programs raised their arms, ready to fight off any potential intruder.

The port began glimmering with green light, the seams shimmering for a moment before it came to life. One by one all the hatches began opening along the entire stretch of the port... and then the roof began sliding open. Panel by panel, rectangles receding in opposing direction. One entire side of the hexagonal tunnel was opening up into the air. The solar sailor inside had come to a stop, the sails tucking around the craft itself. The sailor itself was loaded down with cargo; compartment after compartment full of crates of data, barrels of exotic energy, components and aspects of another system. Standing on the bow of the sailor was a single program, his feet placed wide, his sleek black body glistening with jagged green lines of energy. On his back was a pristine ring of black pulsing with a green semicircle. Vice opened his eyes slowly with a grin.

"Get ready to unload... I have found the way to paradise." Vice called out triumphantly, a grin crossing his lips. The programs that had gathered moved toward the solar sailor at once, moving around the compartments to gather the data and get it back to the city. One program turned, raising his head toward the Recognizer. He began signaling and the craft moved over the solar sailor, preparing to lift entire compartments and take them back to the system center. Vice leapt off of the sailor, moving along the port. As he passed one of the sorters he reached out and pulled a data baton from his hip without asking. The virus began running before he leapt off of the platform, pulling the baton apart. As he fell through the air, light spilled out of the baton to form into one of Enigma's rugged light cycles. The tired hit the slope of the ground and dug in, throwing chunks of silicon in its wake before the cycle sped upwards, heading toward the system center at an accelerated pace.

Everything felt so different to Vice as he moved along the road, sensing his entire existence in a new way. He could feel the lightcycle humming against his groin, stimulating him. He could 'feel' the wind against him, he could appreciate the colors of Enigma so much more. Everything felt... more. He had gained a new level of existence in Eden. He had succeeded... and he would continue to succeed. The lightcycle sparked as it dropped down into one of the etched roads, moving along more even terrain. Vice thought of Eden, of the refined roads. It was everything their user wanted for them. Vice leaned forward, wanting to get to his destination as quickly as possible.

---

In the time that the programs had gone to investigate the solar sailor, the streets around the lake had filled with those left behind. They ran around anxiously and excitedly, unfamiliar with the steady tone that had come, not knowing what to expect when the Recognizer had descended below their field of view. Murmurs and questions flew back and forth, everyone surmising what was going on... but their voices fell into silence slowly as another program approached. While countless boats roamed the rivers of the system, only one boat moved in the lake itself. A singular program sat in the center of a vast white and silver boat, riding on the neon white lake of energy. The boat maneuvered on its own toward shore, allowing the occupant to sit still.

"Proxy..." came the whispers of the programs, watching the boat come to the shore. It slid to the very edge, coming to a stop, the bow stretching over onto the solid ground. The boat's occupant stood slowly, his solid white robes falling serenely around the program. He stepped off the boat and as his feet touched the ground; his white robes glimmered before bright orange circuit lines snapped on, a bright orange circle illuminating his chest. Proxy's robes even included a white hood, pulled over his head, dark brown hair hanging down over his face where the robes did not reach. He walked along the street silently, aware all the other programs were in awe of his presence. He slowly lifted his head, gazing along the road. The other programs followed suit, wondering what he was looking at.

A moment later their questions were answered as a green light cycle sped toward them. Proxy stood in the center of the road, watching wordlessly. Vice gazed up, shocked by his own fortune. He slowed down, pulling to the side of the road before he climbed off. He looked to Proxy in wonder for a moment before he approached. Even with all he had experienced, all he had seen... Vice had reverence for Proxy and all he stood for. Vice came to a stop before Proxy before kneeling down.

"I... I have succeeded in my destiny. I bring-" Vice was stopped as Proxy raised his hand.

"Vice... Viral Information Collection Engine." Proxy said, "The user knows you have returned... and not empty handed. He eagerly awaits the information you return with, to give us all the gifts we were denied." Proxy said slowly. Vice nodded softly.

"I bring the secrets of light jets, of roads, of new buildings... but most importantly I bring the upgrade of our own base code." Vice said softly, "I... wish to present this to the user right away, so that he can consider granting it to all of our people." Vice said. Proxy looked at Vice for a moment before he lowered his head. The orange on his robes shimmered for a moment before becoming jet black. After a long moment they returned to their normal orange.

"Come with me." Proxy said, turning. He returned to his boat, stepping onto it. Vice rose back to his feet, following after Proxy. He hesitantly climbed onto the boat as Proxy sat down. Vice barely had a chance to get settled before the boat pulled back, moving across the lake toward the center. Vice looked around at the energy and then back at Proxy who had lowered his hood. His feathered brown hair seemed to shift on the wind. It was a most unusual color for the programs of Enigma, but Proxy was unique. "You said an upgrade to our base code?" Proxy asked more conversationally.

"Yes... I have been to a real Tron system, I have touched the code we were intended to have... I have brought it back." Vice said, reaching behind his back. He withdrew his identity disc, offering it to Proxy to examine... although a strange thought was moving through his mind. Vice looked at Proxy, wondering how such a unique program would react to the pleasure he knew, the pleasure he was bringing the entire system. Proxy took the disc, looking at it carefully. He passed his hand over the center and the hologram of the code appeared. Vice's own code was written in green, though there were several elements that were glimmering in blue... The construct obtained in Eden.

"Many programs were derezzed to obtain information like this... Lost to the void of the network, deleted by security of the systems... But you have succeeded?" Proxy asked softly. Vice grinned.

"The security of Eden are loyal to me. They will allow me to send anything I want back here... They make no record of it; they don't stand in my way. They are loyal to our user and our goals. There is so much I can get from there." Vice murmured.

"You are going back then?" Proxy asked.

"Yes, but I am eager to see if the user will accept this upgrade. I want to bring these gifts to our kind... even if our user cannot visit us." Vice said softly.

"He will." Proxy asserted, "One day... we will find the information to build the portal, and then at last our user can come to us... be with us... teach us." Proxy said. Vice nodded gently. Proxy closed his eyes slowly. The boat came to a stop as it rested in the center of the lake. Once more Proxy's robes were lined in black. "I will relay your request to the user." Proxy murmured, his voice echoing softly. Suddenly Proxy's eyes opened, entirely black and yet radiating a strange light.

"So many files... so many updates... the perfection." A different voice came out of Proxy's lips, a voice that all of those in Enigma had come to accept as the word of the User that could not touch their world directly. "Initiating System Upgrade." he said, his voice carrying out over the lake. The wind in the system began to pick up, the clouds rolling over themselves as they began to get pushed out of sight. Above the clouds was a serene indigo sky, distant points of light glimmering steadily. Vice looked around across the lake, noticing all of the programs coming to a stop in anticipation. A sudden harmonic tone pierced the air before there was a bright flash in the sky, a ball of orange light hurtling down toward the lake. Vice's eyes grew wider as he grabbed onto the side of the boat. Proxy sat as he was, unmoving.

Like a deadly comet the ball of light hurtled toward the center of the lake where Proxy's boat had come to a stop... but as suddenly as it had appeared, in came to a stop. Vice gazed up at the orb sent by his creator, hanging in the air like sun... For a moment it hovered elusively before it burst into a thousand lines, angles, pixels, sprites. The light washed out over the system in a wave, then another. The orb then lowered slowly, fading from sight as it passed through where the boat rested. Vice looked around in confusion before the boat began to gently shake. The energy rippled, the colors warping and shifting in the vast lake. Something was changing, something was coming.

Proxy's boat suddenly shifted as if it had run aground, but it was ground that had come to the boat. Slowly the craft was lifted out of the lake by a growing mass, a new island forming in the very center. It formed out of pure energy, turning into a transparent, smoky black glass. The island slowly rotated as it rose, lifting Proxy and Vice up and around, their eyes gazing outward at the shores of the lake. The round island soon came to a stop, though four points of light illuminated with a glowing orange. Lines crossed the island from point to point until they met, turning into a opaque black square.

The points of light continued to glimmer before they lasers erupted upward for a moment before they began angling in, focusing on a single point, the lines creating a perfect pyramid around Proxy and Vice. The walls of the pyramid began filling in with the same smoky black glass, etched lines of circuitry crossing over the surface as it formed. Another pulse of sound filled the system, dropping in pitch until no one could hear it anymore, only feel it. Wave after wave of orange light washed out from the center of the island, spilling over the shore, cascading through the buildings. The energy spilled into the streets that had been so painstakingly mined out of the outlands, filling them like the many rivers of the system... but as the energy flowed, it left something new in its wake... glistening obsidian roads lined with pulsing white lights guiding the way.

Across the entire system the rugged roads were becoming as refined and perfect as those in the Tron system. On the shore the air shimmered as an extraordinarily large black tower appeared, then another. The towers flickered, lights coming on as power was directed in. Vice turned, noticing movement in the sky. The incomplete Recognizer was bringing data from the solar sailor, carrying the heavy burden with its one intact leg. As the craft drifted through the sky it began to change and grow. A glimmering wire frame image stretched out from the incomplete data before the rest of the craft rezzed into being. The lights flickered for a moment before becoming a neutral white.

"It's amazing..." Proxy whispered in his own voice, watching the changes. Vice turned, watching as light began to glitter behind Proxy's back, the sparks of light coalescing into a white identity disc. Proxy paused in confusion before his expression changed into one of profound surprise.

"Updating programs." Proxy said in the voice of the user before adding an 'Oh...' of his own. Vice watched in delight, although he felt something new. There had been so many new sensations since he went to Eden. He had no idea that the ones he were feeling were pride or lust. Vice moved, climbing onto all fours. He began to advance toward Proxy slowly, his fingers stretching into sharp black claws, the toes on his feet doing the same. His green light began to glow brighter.

"This is what being a real program is like Proxy... It's amazing. Let me show it to you." Vice murmured.

"I don't under-" Proxy was interrupted as Vice put a clawed finger to his lips. Vice grinned slowly, his teeth looking far sharper than they had before. Vice came down to rest on his knees, straddling Proxy's legs to hold him in place. His free hand moved to open Proxy's robes, revealing the white bodysuit beneath. Slowly the black and green clawed hand caressed along the smooth, supple white outfit to Proxy's groin. Vice's grin grew more menacing before his claws moved, piercing through the white fabric. It shimmered for a moment before derezzing, revealing Proxy's new manhood.

"I'll teach you all you need to know." Vice said, curling his fingers around Proxy's shaft. He began to squeeze the manhood from base to tip and back again, massaging it gently before the hand began gliding up and down. Proxy gasped and moaned in surprise, overwhelmed by sensation. He was no longer paying attention to the new buildings forming, the bridges appearing in arches over the rivers... although the city's layout was still haphazard. It lacked the insight of a user that could see the system, although Proxy couldn't guess what the user would do if he could see what was going on now.

"Show me... Please." Proxy begged, watching Vice in the awe he had only given his creator before. Vice worked at Proxy's shaft harder, pumping his head up and down with growing intensity. His other hand moved, caressing Proxy's face before he ran the claws down Proxy's chest. The clothing under Proxy's robes derezzed, leaving bare flesh... flesh that could actually feel. The claws sent chills through Proxy. He began to lift his hips up and down, thrusting his shaft into Vice's hand. Vice grinned, knowing Proxy was ready. He leaned down slowly, his hot lips coming to the tip of the program's mouth. They slowly parted, the warm and wet interior so welcoming that Proxy couldn't resist thrusting his shaft in.

Vice took inch after inch, sucking and slurping, his eyes drifting shut. He felt so good, so primal. He wasn't just bringing Proxy pleasure, he was... infecting him with lust, all without actually infecting him. It was an intoxicating feeling of power, a new form of pleasure. Vice shuddered in delight, the jagged lines of energy on his body pulsing brightly before they shifted, sliding around as Vice's body began to shift. He was slowly gaining muscle, his pecs jutting out a bit more, his arms gaining more definition. The fabric on his groin pulled back, letting the virus' long manly shaft emerge.

Proxy was not an idiot. This upgrade was too impossible to ignore, and the pleasure he had been given had to be returned. He moved around beneath Vice, flexing and contorting until his lips came to Vice's cock. Proxy ran his tongue across the tip, taking in Vice's flavor. Vice groaned in delight, a clawed hand grabbing Proxy's head, shoving the program's head into his own groin. Soon both the program and virus were sucking each other off, their heads bobbing back and forth eagerly.

All throughout the system the changes had taken shape. Lightcycles raced along the new roads faster than ever before. Programs moved into the new buildings to discover their purpose and function. An armada of complete Recognizers were forming along a vast landing pad that had been created next to the port... and every program in Enigma was starting to feel new sensations, new emotions, every bit of reality that programs in true Tron systems had been granted by their first creator.

"So good..." Proxy moaned around Vice's shaft, feeling the pleasure building quickly toward crescendo. He felt everything becoming hotter, faster, better... but he had no idea what to expect. Vice bobbed his head up and down with the intensity of a wild animal, bucking his hips into Proxy's mouth almost as wildly. Vice had no hesitations, wanting nothing more than to feel that pleasure again. As the two embraced, Vice's clawed hands caressed over Proxy's body before they found their destinations; one hand began to massage and fondle Proxy's balls while the other played with one of his nipples, twisting and tugging at the sensitive nub.

The pleasure was too great, Proxy couldn't resist. He gasped and howled in delight, arching his back as he sprayed his load into Vice's mouth. Vice gulped it down greedily, feeling strengthened and nourished by every drop. He shivered and then moaned before he came as well, spraying his cum into Proxy's mouth... but the spray continued for a long moment, the volume quite surprising. Proxy tried to swallow it all but soon some was leaking out of the corners of his mouth. Vice slowly pulled off of Proxy's shaft, licking it clean, leaning his head down to gaze between their abdomens to where Proxy had his head buried in Vice's groin. It was quite the sight. Vice grinned in pride once more.

Ever so slowly Proxy pulled off of Vice's cock. He breathed slowly, his chest rising and falling as he processed more new sensations. Proxy suddenly let out a soft moan, his mouth opening wider. As Vice watched, the voice of the User began to change gently. The teeth called so arbitrarily canine by the humans became longer, sharper. The tips of Proxy's feathered brown hair began to become a gentle orange color. His shaft throbbed and then began to grow, and as it did Vice felt fangs of pleasure in his own.

Vice let out his own moan, grabbing his shaft. It pulsed and throbbed, stretching longer... inch by inch. His balls grew larger as well, reinforcing his lusts, his hungers, his drives. Vice realized a new aspect of himself. He was a virus, he had to spread himself. Vice crouched down before Proxy, looking at him. Proxy looked to Vice with an almost instinctual need, not sure whether to look at the virus' cock or face.

"Did that feel good?" Vice whispered, reaching over to caress Proxy's cheek.

"Very... very good. Do we get to do it again?" Proxy asked. Vice chuckled gently.

"In time... But we both have a lot of work to do. You have to help the system through these updates. There is a lot of new information to process... and you have to tell the User just how much closer he has brought us to the ideal he seeks." Vice said.

"Of course." Proxy said eagerly.

"I will return to Eden... While I'm gone, feel free to share the pleasure I showed you with those you see fit. I'm sure in time they will all learn how wonderful it is, this new part of their life." Vice said, standing up. He closed his eyes and the jagged lines on his body shifted, moving around into the ordered, neat lines of a program. The fabric closed back over his groin, though the bulge was more distinct now. He turned and moved for the corner of the pyramid, the seams of the building absent to allow ways in and out of the structure.

As Vice emerged he could see that the island had continued to adjust and change, becoming ever more elaborate. Orange code was appearing on the pyramid walls, scrolling along. Some of it Vice could make out, the rest was alien to him. Proxy had been given a temple, a place to commune with the user... and Vice had defiled it with the pleasure he found. Vice liked this feeling of Pride almost as much as the one he felt with those he played with.

Vice moved towards the shore of the island, stepping onto the outer edge. Several boats rezzed into existence, allowing programs to come and go from the island. Vice quickly climbed into one, heading back toward the Shoreline, wondering what pleasure he could find next.

Chapter 3 (Metamorphosis) Written by Leo_Todrius and Kayawk

The system of EDEN was a magnificent jewel of creation, glowing brightly into the endless night of cyberspace. Aptly named, it was everything an Enhanced Digital ENvironment could hope to be. A perfect network of streets and bridges ran between awe inspiring towers and impressive geometric structures casting white, teal and blue light on one another. Glowing fiber optic lines were woven through the city like veins, sub-wave transports gliding along seamlessly to take programs anywhere they needed to go.

Even with the ample transportation of the sub-waves moving high above the streets and below ground, lightcycles glided along the streets in sublime grace while teal Recognizers hummed through the air, attending to their duties. The system had grown and evolved, but it had never lost its roots. It still remained very much a seed of the Tron Expansion initiative.

Programs roamed about the streets, some heading to perform their functions while others headed toward any of the plentiful recreation areas that dotted the cityscape. With so many watching the lightcycle races in the Primary Arena, few programs remained near the plaza in the very center of the system. Eden's plaza was home to some of the system's most unique architecture as well as some of the system's most discussed rumors. Four gigantic obsidian towers lined in white glimmered at the four corners of the massive plaza, overlooking the central core. While the towers were stark and angled, the core was anything but. Fashioned out of a quadruple helix of silver, the four spiraled structures were interconnected by faintly colored glass bridges spanning the gap. The bridges fed into round a continuous round glass hallway that left the very center of the core hollow, air drifting through the gap that ran from the base of the plaza to the very top, well above the four obsidian towers. Few programs entered the core itself but the obsidian towers on the corners of the plaza were the undisputed centers of knowledge in the system. Databases, libraries, utility suites and update centers filled the massive structures, feeding off of the processing power and information centered in the core. The core was often still and quiet for millicycles at a time, and then without warning or explanation it would come to life. Now was such a time. In a brilliant flash a star appeared in the sky, casting a beam of light down into the system of Eden. The column of light filled the hollow gap between the glass bridges of the core, slipping down to the very base. The bridges glimmered with the energy, glowing as brightly as the circuits of the entire system did. Long circuits of energy running along the plaza snapped on and the obsidian towers seemed to glow brighter as a result. Outside the plaza programs came to a stop, turning to look at the spectacle that had presented itself... but as always, nothing else happened. The light came, the star glimmered. Some programs guessed that it was a message from the creator, that he was there to watch over him. Others speculated that it was merely an energy cycle, a way for the system to keep balanced. Still, after several moments the programs in EDEN went back about their business... all but one.

Vibrant indigo eyes gazed at the core, a young program leaning against the wall of the southern tower, almost entirely obscured by the shadow the dark side of the building cast. If the program had been a user they would have said he was in his late teens and little more than five and a half feet tall. The young program had typical pants but his torso was clad in a glossy black vest, a strip of glowing blue chevrons coming down from both shoulders to meet in the middle before angling back out to his hips. A necklace hung from his neck, holding a glowing blue disc on a chain just above where the X crossed. To those in the real world it might have been reminiscent of a skull and crossbones. Completing the programs 'pirate' like garb was a glowing blue ring set in his left ear, glimmering as brightly as his circuits. He reached up, gliding his hand along his smooth head and the crest of the three inch black Mohawk he had, an unintentional habit.

"Blu, how much for these music files?" A voice came, waiting for a response. When none came, they tried again. "Blu?" they asked. The young program was snapped back and turned around, facing the street again. Several tables had been set up, covered in boxes of database files, music files, anything he had imported from outside the system.

"Normally it'd be marked up a bit trying to get it through customs, but for you... I can knock off ten percent." Blu said with a practiced grin. The customer shook his head and moved along the street, disappearing from view. Blu murmured "You bit..." under his breath before he moved to organize his goods in case another customer might come by.

The streets Blu had set up in were quiet, empty. He paced a bit, the tread of his sleek black boots getting a perfect grip on the street. He reached up, running a hand along his mohawk, eyes scanning the horizon. It had been a terrible night to try and share his wares. Everyone was at the games watching lightcycle racing and disc target. Blu sighed softly, closing his eyes for a moment, listening to the hum of the system. He always had a surplus of inventory. It was times like this he wondered just why he had been created, what his purpose was... if the user was really out there. Blu opened his eyes, shaking the thought off. He moved back to the table, sorting through the glowing cubes of data.

Noah turned the corner down the smaller side street of the city where he knew one of his old 'friends' would have set up for the night. The user didn't know how to feel about the programs that surrounded him; he knew that they were just human projections of lines of code, but still... they seemed so 'human.' Still, he enjoyed wandering the streets of his city in anonymity, preferring that his status as the user go unknown, and it was under this condition that Noah had first befriended Blu, and as he neared the software pirate's stand, he waved, baggy sleeve slipping down his arm a little, and a smile crossed his face, buried under a low hood. He jogged a little up to the stand, and shoving his hands in his pockets, asked,

"Hey Blu, how's business?" The user's black, loose flowing jacket was ornamented with straight neon blue lines, which narrowed and converged at the crown of his hood.

"Sometimes I think I should have been rezzed as a media program, I'd get more action." Blu smirked, "You're the first one that stopped long enough to give me the time of cycle. You interested in anything? I got a new shipment in, an updated Daft Punk discography." Blu offered, lifting up a pair of cubes that glowed gold and silver. Noah slipped the hood off his head, revealing neat mid-length dirty-blond hair which hung just below his ears and just above his eyebrows. His features were soft, kind, and he'd clearly not suffered too much hardship in his little-over-twenty years of life. He took the offered cubes, examining them, and smiling apologetically he replied.

"Nah, I got somewhere to be. I'll see if you're still around on my way back, though, and then we'll see. How long do you think you'll be here?" He set them back on the surface of the stand along with Blu's other wares, and casually crossed his arms, sleeves hanging off his body. Blu was obviously crest-fallen for a moment that he had failed yet again, but his affable personality sprung up again as he let out a wide grin.

"I'll be here until the games let out, I'm sure I'll get a lot of business going then when everyone's on their way home again. This is the center of the system, lots of foot traffic sooner or later, right?" Blu said before tilting his head, "Hey, why aren't you at the games?" He asked curiously. Noah couldn't help but smile at Blu's unshakable happiness. He started digging through his mental repository of excuses, before producing,

"I've got to go configure a few things a few sections over. Something about a compiler. May take a while, but I'll try to be back before the games finish." His hands returned to his sides, and he assumed a slouch, offering, "We need to go get a drink sometime, man." His eyebrow rose and he continued, "Maybe after you're done here and I'm done over there?" He gestured vaguely further into the city.

"Sure, they've got some good energy shots at this place I know." Blu said, satisfied that he had something to look forward to, "Good luck with the compiler." Noah gave Blu a genuine smile, revealing shiny, well-cared-for white teeth, and said,

"I'm already looking forward to it. I'll catch you later tonight, Blu. Good luck with sales." The user turned and started down the slick obsidian road, hand going up in a wave of farewell as he disappeared into the neon twilight. Blu watched Noah walking away, glad to have at least plans for a reconciliation drink. Once more he began to pace and organize, going back and forth between the two for some time. In the distance he could hear the roaring cheers of the programs in the game arena, the joy they were all sharing. He let out a small sigh before he paused, hearing something near by, a noise he wasn't used to.

Blu pulled the baton from his hip, holding it over the table. The three lights flashed before transparent glass covered the table, keeping the contents secure. Blu moved along the street slowly, passing the black tower on the corner of the plaza before coming to a tighter cluster of buildings. Again he heard the unusual sound. Blu had nothing else to occupy him but his curiosity. The young program rounded the corner, moving into an alleyway. He wondered if degraded data had gotten caught somewhere or if there was a blown capacitor that had to be dealt with.

A figure in black was slumped against the wall in the dimly-lit alley, breathing hard. Through Vanguard's faceless black glass mask, the sound was muffled but clearly out of distress. Despite Vice's orders to stay at the security station, Vanguard... couldn't. He needed to find his master, needed his direction, his attention, and something... more, something Vanguard couldn't understand. He wanted that special feeling Vice had given him back then, a feeling he couldn't describe. He'd gotten on the next solar sailor and followed him to the city, and had staggered around searching for him. Something was happening to him, though, he could feel. He felt both weak but very powerful, in mounting pain, but yet, he wanted more of it. He leaned on the wall of the alley before slipping and collapsing to the ground. Blu's eyes widened in surprise, seeing one of the many guards of the system. His purple lines seemed dimmed, it was clear he was in distress. Blu rushed forward.

"Are you alright? What happened? Do you need help?" Blu asked, coming to a stop in front of him. The guard looked up, reacting to the program's voice, and his gaze locked onto Blu. His breathing halted, and powerful urges rocked his system. Urges, like from... before... He returned briefly to the orgy in the security station, but pushed the images hazily from his mind... but, he couldn't... A solid bulge emerged in the front of his suit, in spite of his obvious pain.

"V-v-ice..." he stammered before gasping in pain.

"Advice? You need advice?" Blu asked, "We could take you to a recovery console, get you some help... Do you need me to help?" Blu asked, moving closer, lifting Vanguard's arm to put it over his shoulders so Vanguard could lean on him for support. The air around Vanguard almost seemed to distort for a moment before returning to normal... but Vanguard didn't. The purple circuits across his bodysuit began to flicker, glowing far too brightly one moment and almost dimming out of existence the next. Blu's eyes widened. He'd never seen a malfunction like that before. On second thought, he'd never seen a program with claws before either. Blu was starting to regret being so close.

Vanguard allowed himself to be helped to his feet, but then flexed his clawed hand, the sharp edges pushing out from his fingers, just as black as the rest of his suit. It wasn't clear if the claws were an extension of the suit or the body... or if there was a difference anymore. He stumbled forward, doubling over as though flexing his whole torso, inadvertently shoving Blu away from him. Blu fell backward, groaning softly before he struggled back up.

"Maybe I should just get you some help, get someone to come here..." Blu said softly. The purple lines across Vanguard's body continued to flicker before all at once they changed color, settling on a yellow tinged with just a touch of green. The circuits stopped flickering, becoming stable once more... but it wasn't to last. There was a surprising noise as Vanguard's chest plate cracked. Jagged, rough lines split down between his pectorals, the cracks fanning out across the program's abdomen.

Where the cracks had formed, Vanguard's body began to grow and change. His pecs pushed apart, his abs becoming more defined. His armor began to crack more, tiny pieces of black derezzing as they fell to the ground. Vanguard's shoulders crackled next, bulking out dramatically in width and girth. Vanguard seemed almost top heavy now, but the cracks soon spread to his legs. Blu turned to leave the alley, starting into a sprint to get away.

Vanguard's pants had deepened as his body exploded outward, becoming focused grunts. The bottom of his helmet seemed to break away, becoming the bottom part of a gaping maw from which a hanging, black, drooling tongue emerged. It dangled down below Vanguard's broad chest, drooling as it licked over his new 'skin' and the grunts became much less muffled, clearly directed at Blu as he started with a lumbering gait which became an inhumanly fast sprint that soon lowered to all fours. As Vanguard ran, the impact of his feet hitting the street caused the armor to shift and contort more. His boots splayed out, creaking and reshaping into monstrous talons. Vanguard was at least a foot taller than he had been, his legs changing as he ran. The smooth armor became rough, almost like muscle clusters, bending and contorting. Blu shot out of the alleyway and across the empty street, heading into another labyrinth of low buildings. He'd evaded guards there before, he hoped he would be successful escaping from whatever monstrosity was emerging behind him.

Still following in monstrous pursuit, his rough talons pounded the pavement and he closed on Blu within the labyrinthine alleys. As Vanguard reached out for Blu, his gloves exploded, his hands shifting into wicked, deadly looking clawed paws. He hooked one over Blu's shoulder, throwing him off balance and sending him spilling out onto the ground. With a hunter's efficiency, Vanguard was immediately atop him, a sharp talon pressed onto Blu's chest as the monster shuddered, feeling an onrush of more significant pain.

"I... Don't derezz me, please..." Blu pleaded for life, a life so short thus far. He looked up at the creature, feeling more of a rush of emotions than he ever had before. It was as if Vanguard could sense those emotions, those feelings... Feelings he had existed without for so long until Vice had come into his life. Vanguard's metamorphosis continued unabated. His shoulders continued to stretch out, forcing his head forward a bit. The visor glimmered like liquid silver as it began to contort and stretch. The detached jaw moved along with it, the whole elongation looking almost like a muzzle. Cracks formed near the top of the helmet before obsidian black began pushing through, angling sharply and stretching back as geometric horns adorned the almost primal shape Vanguard's head had taken. Blu was practically shivering in surprise, watching the changes take place... and it almost felt as if Vice would have been proud of Vanguard for making someone watch his change, the change his master brought into him.

Vanguard leered down at Blu, his tongue dripping viral black saliva all over the young program's face as he gave the cheek a lick. His arm swooped down and grabbed Blu, pulling him to Vanguard's chest as the claws clamped around Blu's arm, preventing any possibility of escape. His other hand clamped on Blu's shoulder, spinning him around. Bringing his taloned foot up, he tore away Blu's pants, ripping and pulling them to the ground. His code had been deteriorating and the line between what was 'flesh' and what was 'garb' was gone. Slowly Vanguard's heavy manhood began pulling away from his body. The black coating tried to remain intact, gooey lines stretching as his shaft was pulled by its own weight... but the lines gave way. Hanging from Vanguard's groin was a thick, huge, obsidian black member dripping with his mutated code, faint yellow veins pulsing along the length.

Blu cried out at the claws around his arm, being pinned. He shivered as the black goo leaked over him, although despite the fear and the anxiety... His own groin had come to a bulge. Blu felt disgusted by himself for feeling that way, but he'd never felt anything like that saliva. It was so thick, so soft, so slimy, so warm. It was unlike anything he'd ever felt. He shuddered softly, eyes moving to look at Vanguard's long cock. While the mutating security program had come to a stop, his changes did not. The pulsing organic veins of yellow light surged, a flash of light coming across Vanguard's spine. Slowly a long, thin, whip like tail covered in spikes lowered from his back, connected just above his waist. It swayed back and forth slowly. Where the tail had split from Vanguard, it had left a line of sharp spikes glistening along his spine.

Vanguard's tail darted around in a lustful eagerness, and still holding Blu he bent over and licked the program's cheek with a hissing growl. Then, pulling his hips back, he slammed forward into Blu, his warm cock piercing through Blu's clothing, pressing deep into his warm ass, the shaft slick with a thin, black pre-cum. His hand was tight over Blu's mouth, preventing any noise from escaping. His feet spread apart, and he continued to pound and lick at his prey.

Blu howled out against Vanguard's paw, writhing and flexing but ultimately pinned. The small program was at the mercy of this strange mutated beast, this cyber hound working at him. Blu's body shook with the force of the thrusts, but every aspect of the pleasure centers he had been granted were buzzing. Soon the howls of pain were howls of joy, the grunts of fear were grunts of bliss. He looked up at the drooling muzzle with such confusion, slowly lifting his hips up into the air, surprised at his own actions... But it felt so good, this creature... it was making him feel so good. He moaned more. It was then Vanguard felt it, the hot, wet moist tongue of the program licking against the palm he was using to silence the boy.

Vanguard craned his head around, removing his hand from Blu's mouth to turn Blu's head to face him. He plunged his tongue into Blu's mouth, flooding it with the virus as he pushed his cold, hard, glassy muzzle to the program's lips. Blu was overwhelmed at first but soon his eyes shut and he seemed to be in heaven. He pushed his lips to that muzzle, letting the long tongue slip down his throat. Black slime leaked from his lips, filled his stomach, coursed through his vains. He was being filled from both ends by Vanguard... and that was when Vanguard heard it, Vice's thoughts... Vice realizing his true purpose while making love to his loyal subjects... To spread the pleasure. Vanguard was doing the work of his master, making his master proud. Vanguard's body glimmered before it surged larger again, gaining quite a bit of muscle mass and girth.

Vanguard intensified his efforts as the haphazard yellow lines covering him flared, grinding harder into his prey's ass, black viral cum pouring out from around the invading member. He was moaning, the sound originating deep in his throat as he thought of the service he was doing to Vice. Soon, Blu's body began to pulse under his touch, the muscles achingly expanding further, Blu's iconically diminutive frame no longer so, his spine slowly lengthening in Vanguard's rough hold. He was nearing the proportions of an athletic adult, but things didn't seem to be stopping.

Blu writhed and moaned as he was engorging on the viral cum. His free arm flopped about, trying to find a way to thank the beast for the sea of endless pleasures he was experiencing. He blindly massaged Vanguard's chest and stomach, hands wandering, finding small nubs jutting out of the black that seemed to swell when touched. Blu gulped at the tongue, ass massaging the huge shaft that had invaded it. He was quite the receptive program. Vanguard's claws danced through Blu's mohawk, which surged in length as he continued to grow wider and taller. His other rough hand rubbed Blu's chest, feeling the definition and surging power within the program's newly bestowed musculature. His hand ran downward, to Blu's cock, which was hard as a rock and nearly a foot long, throbbing purple at the massive head which was dripping black-tinted cum onto the alley floor, the virus clearly already working its way into Blu's system.

Blu let out a deep resonating moan, the vibrations moving up Vanguard's arm and into his chest, resonating there in the massive muscles. Blu lifted his hips, humping against Vanguard's stomach. His eyes were wild, pleasured, wanting to thank the beast any way possible. Blu growled more, his cock bobbing, splattering black cum around. As it splattered Vanguard's stomach, his body swole larger again, the beast's cock growing longer inside of Blu. Vanguard no longer resembled a normal program in any shape or form. He seemed more natural on all fours, stalking his prey. His black body was wild, feral. Not a single straight line had been left on him, every streak of glowing yellow was wild like the virus that had infected him. Vanguard was wild... and his instincts could not be constrained. The mutating virus was nearing completion.

Vanguard bellowed into the night, and with a final explosion of viral seed inside of Blu, the flood filling his stomach, he withdrew from him, tongue reeling back into his mouth and cock pulling out with a slick pop. He pushed him away, Blu's ass dripping with his cum. He left the program's body trembling, pain and pleasure rocking his frame. He lowered to all fours, and after one tender lick on the chest, Vanguard leapt up to a wall, and began to clamber up a building before disappearing from sight into the darkness.

Blu lay on the alley ground for some time, his stomach and ass full of cum, the black goo coating his chin. His clothes were warped, his muscled bulged, his mohawk significantly longer, his cock aching beyond belief. Blu basked in his bliss before he remembered something... Noah was coming back, the only individual that had showed him kindness before. A smile crossed Blu's lips, lips he soon licked. He would show Noah this new form of pleasure he learned. Blu soon staggered to his feet and began walking, his cock hanging out as he moved, lumbering slightly. He felt fantastic. It took some time but he made it back to his stand, a grin plastered on his lips.

Chapter 4 (Alone) Written by Leo_Todrius

A chilling winter breeze blustered through the city, navigating between skyscrapers of glass and steel and buildings of brick and mortar. The cold air seemed to match the colors of the clouds above, masses of deep purple riding a sky of pink. It was just before dawn, the sun had not yet breached the horizon but it had thrown its light across the heavens. The night lights of the city were still on, gleaming like stars framed in ice. In the far distance a snow packed mountain peaked out from a shroud of fog, the crags seeming so soft in the snow glowing pink.

Ethan's green eyes gazed across the city, vague and unfocused. Even the massive tower wreathed in gold, pointing skyward didn't hold his focus. It didn't help that everything was sideways to him. Ethan was lying on the cold metal grating of the industrial balcony outside his apartment suite, chilled to the bone. His black hair whipped around his head, lashing at his pale skin. He had been awake all night, outside for at least an hour already. He felt numb in more ways than one. His world didn't make sense... especially compared to the other world he knew. Reality just wasn't... real anymore.

Ethan had been thinking about what led him onto the balcony, where it had all started. His eyes drifted, searching the many buildings to find the regional Encom building. The logo gleamed brightly as ever. It wasn't as impressive as the headquarters, but it had been like heaven to him. It had been three years ago that he had been in that building, an intern fresh out of college. He'd worked hard, giving the company everything he could. He'd even met Sam Flynn... and learned of the Destiny Directive.

Another cold blast hit Ethan, making him shiver... but he was soon back in his own thoughts, thinking of the meetings, the dinners, the talk... the talk about a program in honor of Kevin Flynn, to recreate the miracle he had experienced in his Grid... Isomorphic algorithms. At first Ethan hadn't believed it, but the tales of the Grid, of the manifestation of computers, of independently evolved programs... It was heady stuff.

After several months of planning, the Destiny Directive had been put into place. Numerous systems capable of running the Tron code had been built and linked through a completely isolated network, each equipped with a digitizing laser and a system portal coded for the user's DNA only. Every system was initialized as a blank slate just as Kevin Flynn's had been... and then the users entrusted with each system got to work. It was amazing... absolute pure creation, whatever the imagination could think of.

Sometimes Ethan regretted not being wilder with what he created; not creating anything outlandish... but he had followed the path of Kevin Flynn. He built a massive system, populated it with programs, interacted with them as the creator... and he forced himself to spend some time in the system and some outside. He had taken only one precaution after learning what had happened to Kevin Flynn... The programs he tasked with regulating the system in his absence were not after perfection, they worked for the peaceful cohabitation of all programs and the user.

Cohabitation... The words seemed so informal, so cold... Just like reality. He had created heaven for himself, crafted an entire city populated with people he liked. It was an amazing system... amazing programs. It was so easy to forget they were manifestations of code... So easy, he had. He had fallen in love with a program. It had evolved so easily... Working side by side toward a common purpose, celebrating the achievements they reached together. Ethan had once met another user named Noah who was anonymous in his own system. He never understood that until now. It wasn't just to protect the programs, it was to protect himself... protect himself from what he was going through now.

Ethan remembered the earliest days of his system so vividly it was as if he was reliving them. Even the great Kevin Flynn had needed help to build his system. Ethan's first program was named Cortex, the outer layer of the system. Together they built a vast system to bring about the return of the iso's... A forge of creation, of imagination... and that was what he named his system, Forge. The two worked side by side, the system evolving and growing more complex... and so too did their relationship. Cortex simply became Core... and Ethan found himself waking up in the middle of the night, wanting to share ideas with his friend.

It all seemed painfully obvious to Ethan now... He groaned just thinking about it. Core was his ideal man; creative, compassionate, intuitive and unintentionally attractive. It had been too easy to fall for him. For Ethan it had become harder and harder to mimic what Flynn had done, spend time away from his utopia. Core, of course, was infinitely understanding... too understanding.

"And then Flynn was trapped in his system, he stayed there?" Core had asked, the question hanging in the air for a long moment, "Then stay with me." he suggested. The words still echoed in Ethan's mind, they had been so innocent. Ethan had created a paradise, had followed a routine, and then had been invited to stay. But was that fair? Was he in love with a computer program? Hours on the balcony in the bitter cold, an entire night of contemplation... Yes. Yes he was. A lifetime of never meeting the special someone, he had wound up creating them... It wasn't part of the order though. The iso's evolved before Flynn was trapped... and the new portal mechanism allowed users to enter the systems without fear of being trapped. So... what was the problem? He could leave when he needed to... Maybe it really was time to get more involved with his system, try and foster the environment necessary for the iso's... and he could be happy. A smile crossed Ethan's cold lips.

Slowly Ethan grabbed a hold of the metal bar running around the edge of the balcony, pulling himself up. He stood on wobbly legs, looking across the city as the glowing rim of the sun began to burn along the horizon. This city was nothing compared to what he had created. Ethan turned, moving to the edge of his loft apartment. Two entire walls of the apartment were glass, the other two a sterile white. Ethan opened the door and moved in, finding the heat that enveloped him almost alien. The loft itself seemed cold in a different way. There were no pictures of families, of friends, magazines of other people. The space was set up for work and sleep, little else. Dry erase boards held schematics of the city, bottles of water lined a counter... and along one of the blank walls was the vast silver computer hub that made up Forge. Racks of server consoles filled the massive towers on either side of the glass interface, the computer text projected onto the frosted transparency.

Ethan sat down at the console, his feet tingling as the circulation returned to them. He reached up to brush his dark bangs from his face, feeling his heart racing. He was going to see Core again; he was going to tell him yes. Ethan's fingers began flying over the keyboard. He entered all of the necessary code for what he had in mind. A hum came as the digitization laser primed, powering its capacitors, the lens shimmering as more and more light built up behind it.

The chair eased back gently as Ethan took a deep breath, letting his eyes drift close. His finger hovered over the button to fire the laser, waiting... waiting until a soft tone signaled that the charge had been built. Ethan's finger fell, pressing the button. The laser fired, enveloping Ethan in teal light. The room around him dissolved into a blizzard of light and shape, reality stripped away until it was gone.

***

For a moment Ethan felt as if he was in limbo, in nothingness, his body floating. As he had countless times, he used that moment to shift his body from the sitting position to standing. His feet touched down on a firm surface. Ethan slowly opened his eyes, looking out across his city. Forge had been crafted as a vast lowland city ringed around a band of mountains with elaborate buildings clinging to the perilous cliffs like electronic monasteries. Optic lines ran between the mountains like prayer chains, carrying solar sailors from point to point. Ethan stood on a smaller undeveloped peak that sat apart from the tallest peaks in the chain.

Ethan gasped suddenly as hands moved around his waist, the glowing red circuitry revealing that the arms belong to Core. Ethan melted into the grip as he felt Core come up behind him. The taller program soon rested his chin on Ethan's shoulder, holding his creator in a warm embrace. The crimson circuits on Core's body suit complemented his fiery orange hair, tousled and feathered as if it had been slightly gelled. Core looked to Ethan with the same brilliant green eyes his creator possessed.

"You finally came back." Core said, smiling gently. He still hadn't let go of Ethan. Ethan took a deep breath, leaning back against Core.

"I had to think... about everything." Ethan murmured softly. Core remained silent in anticipation. Ethan considered how he could phrase it all. He closed his eyes before continuing, "You were right... Other than trips out to the real world to report my progress and pay for electricity to keep the system on, I... There's nothing for me out there. This is where I want to be, with you." Ethan whispered. He slowly turned around to face Core, looking up into his eyes.

"I am so happy." Core said gently, grinning an oddly unique lop-sided grin, "I found it harder and harder to be away from you... The time we share together is so wonderful." He said eagerly. Ethan smirked, nodding.

"I feel the same way." Ethan said, just taking in Core's look for a moment, "But... I think my focus may have to change a bit. I am going to exist in this system for myself, not for the plan... I am going to do what I want to, what I feel. I won't go around changing everything just because I can, I love this place... But I'm not going to limit myself to just what has been done before." Ethan explained. Core managed to grin even more.

"That is wonderful!" Core said, "Our user will be restrained no longer... my user." Core added, more softly. Ethan smiled at that, looking at the ground for a moment before he looked back up.

"I don't know if I taught you well enough to differentiate love or not... But I really hope you have." Ethan said softly, "Because I love you." He whispered, hoping in the bottom of his heart that Core wouldn't lunge into a series of questions trying to define love. It was part of the gap between man and machine, the gap that the Tron system managed to bridge over and over again. Ethan looked into Core's eyes for what seemed like an eternity.

Core's smile grew more subtle before he leaned towards Ethan, pressing his lips to those of his creator. Once more Ethan felt as if he was melting from the embrace. He pressed his lips to Core's, wrapping his arms around the program's neck. Core held Ethan around his waist tighter, feeling an odd flutter of glee at being intimate with the user. He had wanted this for so long, dreamed of the user finally choosing him over reality.

The two pressed their bodies together, their arousal soon apparent to one another as bulge ground against bulge. Soon Ethan was humping against Core, trying to get as much contact as possible. Core reciprocated, pushing against Ethan with a great deal of their strength. Soon the two toppled to the ground, humping with a wild abandon neither of them had ever known before. Ethan panted and groaned before he moved to kiss and suck on Core's neck. Core shivered in delight at the new sensation, even more so as teeth grazed the exposed flesh there.

"I... I want to make this a true paradise for myself, but... Things will change. I won't be alone with my fantasies anymore; I'm going to share them." Ethan admitted, his hot breath blasting against Core's neck.

"I can't believe anything you would do would be bad for us... I want to see you unrestrained... Mold this world as you truly want it to be." Core said, moving to straddle Ethan. Core moved his hand, resting it on Ethan's chest, his fingers resting on the street clothes that had been digitized when the user came to Forge, "And join us." He added. Ethan gave Core a wry smile, leaning up to press his lips to his lover once more. One hand reached around and liberated Core's identity disc from his back.

Ethan broke the kiss, focusing on the disc before him. The red disc glimmered as the interface was opened, a mesh of code swirling around. Ethan's fingers began moving at a feverish pace. Data was changed, subroutines added, details adjusted... more and more data was being manipulated. Core watched, transfixed by the creativity of his user... and feeling blessed that he could sit on the user's lap, feel the human's swollen manhood beneath him.

"There..." Ethan said softly, looking at the disc for a moment before he looked back into Core's eyes, "Are you ready for the upgrade?" Ethan asked. Core nodded, moving his hips, rubbing against Core. Core moaned softly in delight, his eyes trailing shut for a moment before they opened again. He had to see the upgrade, the change. Ethan moved the disc around and held it over Core's back. The disc wobbled for a moment before it reconnected.

The instant the disc was back, Core could feel a change. He inhaled slowly, filling the equivalent of his lungs. His eyes slipped shut and a deep smile crossed his face. The circuits on his clothing went dark, leaving him an entirely black bodysuit... but just for a moment.

Hollow red circles appeared on the shoulders, lines spreading up along the line of the shoulder and down at forty five degree angles from the bottom of the circle. The glowing red lines started to spiral around the arms, the twin sets crossing back and forth until Core's arms were covered in a red double helix. The lines that moved up his shoulders dipped down, following his collar bone until they almost met, dropping down vertically.

As the lines on the chest began passing over the sternum, they angled out and then back, creating a split diamond outline. In the center a red diamond began glowing brightly. The chest lines continued down, following the angle of the rib cage back out and down to the waist. Small dots and lines flickered on across his bodysuit, his legs receiving more conventional lines to contrast the elaborate chest.

As interesting as his bodysuit was becoming, that was only the simplest of changes Ethan had in mind. Core let out a soft moan as he felt more changes taking root, his open mouth revealing that two of his front teeth had grown as long and sharp as his canine, if not even a little longer. He had quite the set of fangs. Ethan leaned up, pressing his lips to Core's, kissing the program as he was upgraded. He ran his hot tongue over the sharp teeth. Core started to gently gyrate on Ethan's lap, trying to bring him as much joy as he could.

Ethan reached up, running his fingers over one of Core's ears. The cartilage began to shift and change on both sides. The ears began to stretch into points, the lower portion merging into the head until it was sleeker. They angled back just a bit, stretching longer and longer. They passed looking like elf ears of common lore, becoming something more. Core's fingers were also getting longer, his nails becoming black and stretching into short claws. The black of his bodysuit stretched out, covering them, joining with the claws.

Ethan knew what to expect, what was coming, and how to adjust Core to prepare. Ethan let go of Core's changed ears and lifted his arms upwards, letting them spread wide. The glowing circuits on the underside of his arm and the sides of his torso shimmered before light filled the gap. Hexagons of interlocking red glowing light shimmered, spreading block by block in the empty space between the arm and the torso. Long, curved veins of orange stretched out, bridging the gap as a section filled in before the next section started. Soon Core had massive glowing wings.

The light even spread between his fingers, creating a thin energy webbing that continued the look of the wings, the hands growing a bit larger than normal, the claws on the hands stretching longer. Core was moaning louder and louder, humping at his creator wildly, feeling changes beyond his wildest imagination. Core's feet throbbed before the shoes seemed to melt away, coating his feet. The anatomy was changing, shifting. His toes seemed longer, more dexterous, ending in claws.

Ethan was delighted, reaching up to rub at Core's chin. The skin there tingled before orange hairs began to emerge, soft to the touch. Ethan continued to rub and soon stroke the goatee emerging there, guiding it to grow longer and longer into a three inch tuft. Ethan stroked the goatee almost phallically, bringing Core a degree of pleasure he'd never expected from hair. Core once more bore his fangs in delight, a much longer tongue whipping around his mouth.

"Oh Core... My manly bat..." Ethan whispered in delight, moving to kiss Core deeply. Core returned with animalistic fervor, filling Ethan's mouth with tongue. Even in the kiss, Ethan kept working. His hand moved, groping Core at first... but then the black bodysuit began to contort and contract, shaping around Core's manhood. He was well hung, extremely hard... but Ethan was just starting.

Core felt his user's hand working up and down his shaft, massaging it, changing it... and it felt so good. Slowly the member was gaining girth but it was quickly outpaced by the length it was gaining. The thick head was slowly being tapered to a point, a point that started leaking a clear, sticky precum. Ethan was relentless, working the shaft until it was over a foot long before his hands moved to work on Core's balls. He handled them like stress relievers, letting them swell until they were the size of small oranges.

"How do you feel Core?" Ethan whispered after breaking the kiss, smiling as he realized Core's sideburns had grown wilder as well. Core panted softly, eyes moving to bore into Ethan's.

"I need you. I want you..." He whispered Ethan grinned in delight, moving to kiss Core again... but Core moved with blinding speed. Ethan's lips were parted by the pointed, leaking shaft. The program's shaft pushed further and further into the user's mouth, coated in the sticky precum that melted in Ethan's saliva. Ethan relaxed his throat just in time to accept the shaft deeper, letting it slide into his throat.

Clawed hands grabbed onto Ethan's head, holding the user to his groin before he started to thrust, moving back and forth, using Ethan's throat like a sleeve for his beastial cock. Core groaned in bliss, picking up the pace. Ethan loved it, slurping and sucking on the cock, finally able to revel in his true nature as a furry.

The user was bobbing his head back and forth with delight when he suddenly gasped, feeling claws slicing through his street clothes. One bat hand still held his head in place, but the other was cutting up his shirt and one of the bat's foot paws was slicing through his pants. Shreds of fabric fell to the ground, revealing more and more flesh. Soon a clawed foot wrapped around Ethan's hard cock, starting to stroke it up and down. Ethan moaned, his throat vibrating around Core, giving the bat even more pleasure.

Ethan moved his head frantically on Core's cock, slurping his tongue over its length, eyes rolling back into his head from the pleasure of the paw working on his own member. They were a true match, it was more than he had ever hoped for. Core shuddered and then called out in bliss, his moan echoing through the mountains. His balls throbbed, his shaft pulsed and suddenly thick, hot cum was pouring down Ethan's throat.

The taste was exquisite, practically intangible. Ethan had never considered programming flavors and the result was better than anything he could have anticipated. The user greedily gulped at the seed, but there was so much. It filled his mouth and then leaked out around the cock pushed between his lips. The cum dribbled down his chin and then three drops fell, landing on his upper chest in a vertical line. Where the cum landed, three violet squares of light illuminated on his skin.

Ethan continued to guzzle his lover's seed, swallowing it deep. Below the three lines that appeared on his chest a thick ring illuminated, the circuit lines imprinting on his skin like glowing tattoos. The ring was thick, hefty. Two thick bands of purple stretched up and away from the ring, narrowly missing his nipples. They arched over his shoulders and came down to a ring on the small of his back. Two more lines stretched horizontally around his ribs, connecting the two rings. Finally one last line dropped from the very bottom of the front circle, passing over his navel before it reached his groin.

The line split, moving around his manhood and balls, traveling down the inside of his legs. The side of his human legs flickered as several interlocking chevrons pointing down flickered on, completing his circuitry pattern. In many ways it looked like some of the harnesses Ethan had ogled online... but it was a part of his skin itself, a very interesting development.

Ethan had suckled from Core like a man dying of thirst until every last bit of his seed was gone. Core pulled back from Ethan's lips, lying back on the ground, panting hard. His paw weakly kept thrusting up and down on Ethan's cock until Ethan groaned and shuddered, spurting out his own meager load of seed. Ethan panted hard, trying to reclaim his breath until he too laid back on the ground. Core's ass rested on his thighs, the program's legs spread wide, resting on either side of Ethan's ribs, the two entwined and glowing brightly.

For some time the two laid on the top of the peak, basking in the afterglow of the dawn of their new life, their life together... Dawn. It had been dawn when Ethan gave up on his life alone; it felt like a dawn now. That... was a gift he could give to his system. Ethan turned his head to the right, reaching out to the stone next to him.

Ethan's finger moved in a hexagon, leaving a seam in the ground where his finger traced. When he connected the lines, the center of the panel shimmered before text appeared on it, the system code scrolling along. Ethan lifted the tablet out of the ground, bringing it over to rest against his chest. He brought his other hand up and began typing, entering a new set of algorithms to the Tron root code.

Core craned his head up, smiling a lop-sided grin as he watched Ethan at work again already. Core felt the love inside his chest growing by the moment at how generous a creator they had. As the minutes passed, Core wondered what Ethan was working so hard on... but he never wanted to interrupt the creation process. Slowly Core moved, climbing off of Ethan, turning around. He turned to face Ethan and lay down again, resting his head on the human's glowing stomach.

Core had gotten so comfortable, so content that he'd almost fallen asleep when Ethan moved again, returning the tablet to its place in the ground. The display went blank and returned to rock... and then the entire peak pulsed with light. The ring spread outward, passing over the city before it struck the edges of the system.

The ground tremmored ever so slightly as the outer edges of the system rose slowly, a ring of mountains surrounding the system... but there was something behind them to the east, something that hadn't been there before. The deep inky black sky began to shift, growing the faintest bit violet as light began to spill out from behind the mountains... a glowing halo of pink signaled the simulated dawn that was rising, a symbol of hope and togetherness for the entire system.

Core's eyes had grown wide. He slowly climbed up off of Ethan, moving over to the edge of the peak. He crouched down, his shimmering bat wings folded behind him as he gazed into the distance, at this wonder his user had created. Ethan climbed up and moved over to Core's side, sitting down on the edge of the peak, letting his legs hang off the edge. He reached over, putting his arm around his creation, the two marveling at the new dawn.

Chapter 5 (Mutation) Written by Leo_Todrius and Porsche454

The skies above Eden glimmered with a brighter aurora than usual, the buildings in the system pulsing with excess light and energy that came with improvements from the user. Programs had emerged from the games Arena to find several new towers rising up into the night sky and new programs populating them. In one quadrant an entire new structure had been formed, vast curved ribs of metal rising out and up and back again, containing a sphere of teal that cast light on the surrounding area. The system seemed faster, more efficient. There were more optical lines woven through the system and more Subwave Sailors gliding along them. The Subwaves were fantastic for getting programs where they needed to go without clogging up the streets... and they moved with a silent, subtle grace gliding high above the system one moment, arching down and dropping beneath the ground and traveling unseen the next. There were murmurs from program to program discussing how kind and ingenious their user was, wishing they could know him.

None of them knew that he was on the craft with them, a mere shoulder away. Most had not even seen the changes yet. Noah sat with good posture on one of the long benches in a Subwave tram, his robes around him with their steady blue glow. A purple guard stood at the back of the cabin, obscured face gazing on impassively. The car was rather scarce of people, though that was expected with the games concluding in a few minutes. In a way it was why he was there now, to beat the post-games rush. Though, the lack of people placed him in a state of isolation. There was a chime from the speakers as a feminine voice softly announced the approaching station. The tram decelerated smoothly before coming to a subtle stop. A whir of electricity and the doors slid open. Noah stood up from the bench slowly and disembarked.

Without any touch from his hand, his hood slipped up along the back of his head, moving to shroud his features from view. The power Noah held over the system practically radiated from him, and yet none of the other programs were any the wiser. The station outside of the tram was crisp and clean, glistening. Black obsidian walls reflected the light of the tram, silver braces arching over and translucent teal steps leading up toward the surface. Outside the hum of light cycles came and went as the traffic moved. With Noah having disembarked, the tram zoomed along, resuming its course and leaving nothing but the shimmering beam of light behind it. There was an indefinable quality in the air as Noah approached the surface, almost a midnight dew caught in the air. Eden lacked any subroutine for such a thing, but after a certain point, it was as if the system evolved under the subconscious inklings of its user. Whether the programs dressed in cyberpunk garb had come from the subconscious of Kevin Flynn or had been maintained by that of Noah was anyone's guess.

Noah checked his surroundings, the streets silent. Only the echoes of cheers came from the distant arena. He had completed his upgrades, he had traveled the city unobserved... It went as well as it always did, but something was missing. Noah would have felt guilty if he thought what he wanted was acknowledgement or thanks, this was his duty. He had worked very hard to follow the guidelines of the Destiny Program to bring along the rebirth of the ISO's. Noah felt he had made great strides. Still, it was lonely to go about Eden the way he did. At least he had allowed himself a few friends. Noah continued walking, heading back to the portal, slowing a bit when he saw Blu's table.

The table was still there, all of the objects present... But the program standing watch was not the program Noah had created... but at the same time he was. The same blue chevron patterns glowed on the legs of his pants, a very prominent blue and black Mohawk rose above his head and the same glossy black vest clung to very tight muscles. It looked like Blu, but... he was almost a foot taller than he had been. His arms rippled with muscles. The glowing blue earring in his ear seemed bigger. Even his chest seemed rounder, his ribs expanded. The boots at his feet were gigantic. For the first time Blu dwarfed Noah. As Noah approached the table, he took notice of how Blu was moving around, seeming to do the same pre-programmed 'busy work' script he always did between sales. With that as his safe sigh, he continued with an interaction test.

"Sup Blu? How's the weather up there?" Noah joked, punching the program's thick shoulder. Blu looked down to Noah with...a predatory smirk. Noah took a precautionary step back, trying to diagnose his program's obvious glitch. Blu turned, his eyes settling on Noah. A grin crossed his lips.

"How did the repair go? You ready for that drink? I think I figured out something better than energy shots." He said, swinging his large arm around Noah's shoulder, pulling him tightly to his body. Noah's senses alerted him to a scent, a musky, rubbery, half synthetic sort of scent he had never smelled before. Trying to not provoke the program that now had combat advantage, he went along with answering his many questions.

"The compiler just had to be un-cached, nothing tragic," Noah started, trying to get out of the big man's grasp. Blu seemed to not notice his attempts, keeping him tight. With one large hand he pulled the cover over his station and began walking with Noah. Their pace was casual, relaxed, but Noah was completely aware of the layout of their system. They were heading the wrong direction for any of the entertainment venues likely to serve energy shots or any other sort of refreshment for the programs.

"So...where are we going for those drinks?" Noah asked casually, bringing his hand to Blu's waist, mere inches away from his identity disc. Blu smiled, feeling like quite the rogue as Noah moved his hands over his big body. Blu was practically strutting as he moved along the street, heading off the beaten path and into interlocking walkways.

"It's a pretty private place, not too many patrons. I'm sure you'll love it." Blu said. Noah just nodded, pressing his head into the Blu's side. Though his acts seemed sweet and caring, he was just trying to get to the identity disk. His fingers grazed the ribbed edge of the data disc. He peeked his head around Blu's side, able to see the center of the disk as he gently pressed a finger on it. As if sensing the creator, the interface snapped on. The first few levels of menus seemed normal but as Noah got into the code, something was very wrong. Countless lines of blue text scrolled by, code created by Noah himself. Silver lines were interspersed, the original Tron code that was inviolable... and then there were instances of a neon green code. The code didn't belong, it was alien to Eden, and it was spreading. The green code was getting longer, infecting other algorithms. Noah had to do something to stop the virus, but didn't want Blu to react and possibly attack him. He leaned forward again and continued bluffing Blu.

"Mmmm, so, we'll be all.... alone?" Noah cooed, lowering his hand to Blu's supple ass. Blu grinned gently, a deep and animalistic pur escaping his chest. He glanced around before he turned, pushing Noah into the wall, leaning in to kiss Noah. The boy's lips were fierce, focused and strong. His large hand moved down to grope Noah's package, squeezing it. Noah had never felt the caress of one of his programs, let alone one that was seemingly so eager. Now that he was pressed against the wall, Noah was unable to access the identity disk. But, that hand......it felt so perfect cupping his package. Blu grinned with such pride, leaning in. Noah suddenly felt a very unnatural tongue slathering along his neck, a gooey moistness remaining even when the tongue left as the hand squeezed more intently. His hazel eyes grew wide as Blu retracted from his rather affectionate lick. The tongue that lapped him was not what he had programmed, far from it! Panic set in and he pushed at Blu's chest, trying to get free of him.

"Don't worry friend... You'll enjoy this by the end, I did..." Blu uttered, reaching down. He ran his hand over his own groin and the mesh of his pants began to derez, pulling back to reveal a very long, thick shaft. It was quite wide, the tip leaking a black precum that drizzled down onto the ground beneath them. Blu moaned, his teeth seeming abnormally sharp. The scent intensified, a waft smacking Noah across the nose. He felt his own cock stir, but he refused to be dominated by the program HE programmed. Noah focused his mind, using his knowledge of the Tron system to summon enough strength to push Blu away, darting down the alleyway and away from the infected program. Blu let out a growl of dissatisfaction, turning to face the man who had turned down his advances. The circuits on Blu's bodysuit began to flicker off and on irregularly.

Blu took a step towards Noah and then another, thinking of how handsome and strong the beast had been that blessed him with this infection. He wanted to share it and he could think of none he wanted to share it with more than Noah. His long shaft continued to throb before him, dripping the tainted code. Noah's soft soled shoes padded through the alleyway until he skidded to a halt. Such a foolish move, he went down the alley with a dead end. It was now him....and Blu as he saw the infected program slowly grow closer. Noah was disheartened, he was slowly losing one of his only friends within his crafted world.

Blu braced his feet to the ground and lowered down before he charged forward, his heavy shaft swaying, ropes of black cum splattering across the floor and walls as he narrowed the gap between him and Noah quickly. Blu planned on being relentless.With a disinclined sigh, Noah pressed his hand to the wall of the alleyway. A black hexagonal pillar jutted from the side of the building, catching Blu and trapping him against the alley wall. Noah walked up to the snarling Blu, his eyes filled with dread. He continued through the pillar as he reconfigured it to form a walkway while keeping Blu in place. With the infected program subdued, Noah was easily able to acquire the glitching identity disk.

"Don't worry Blu, I'm gonna fix this." he assured with a tone of affection toward him. With the disc removed from Blu's back, the light grew steadier. The center of the disc filled with code, the matrix becoming accessible to the user. Blu struggled a little, though he soon grew quiet. Even his virus addled mind wasn't able to process everything he had seen. The column, the response of his disc... it all pointed to one thing. Noah walked back in front of Blu with the ID disk, his hands working fervently through the pool of code. Blu's eyes looked Noah over.

"You are different..." Blu murmured, quite the understatement. Noah's face remained emotionless, whoever's virus this was surely was a better coder than himself. It seemed to rely on programming completely independent of the Tron code. The virus continued to spread even as he corrected and restored the previous bit, the virus was picking up momentum, it was a losing battle. Quickly, Noah thought of a solution, he created a new subroutine, a way to counter this malicious virus. After a few thoughts and hand movements, he waited for the virus to hit the newly made code. As the green code hit the proverbial brick wall, it seemed to sift through it, slowly becoming a teal. Noah leaned over Blu's shoulder, sliding the disc down to the mount on the back. The disc flashed as the code was interfaced. Noah watched with impatience in his eyes.

Blu's struggles to break free came to a stop, his eyes going distant. There was a war going on within him as the viral code tried to infiltrate the subroutine created by Noah... by Blu's creator himself. Blu's back arched and he gasped. The subroutine was activated, the retrovirus released. The code surged through Blu, reinforcing his own code, rewriting the virus itself. Blu's circuitry patterns pulsed with light before glowing neon blue, almost radiating. The degradation was stopped in its tracks, the damaged code being reconfigured into something stable, but entirely unknown.

Noah knew Blu would be saved, but he did not know as what. Blu's eyes returned to normal, an almost serene look on his face. He closed his eyes and embraced the change, his body starting to shimmer gently. The tips of Blu's ears pushed up before they seemed to shift, his canine teeth remained sharp. The tips of his fingers reverted from the black claws they had been, but only partially. The claws looked like extensions of his fingernails rather than taking up his entire fingers. The claws that had contorted out of his boots shifted into metal studs in the end of the black material... but his legs didn't return to normal.

It wasn't until Noah saw Blu motionless that he realized the boy's legs were digitigrade, bent backwards and then forward almost like an animal. The smooth sides of Blu's head pushed out with a thin layer of stubble, the same stubble pushing out across his face. It blended seamlessly from head to beard, growing just a bit denser while the mohawk stayed prominent above his head. Attention was only taken away from the crest of hair when his rather canine ears quirked and flexed a bit, covered with dark black fur.

Blu flexed his fingers and his toes behind the pylon, feeling something change behind him. His tailbone shifted, growing longer, stretching out. Neon blue tendrils erupted from it, forming a strange blue animal tail. His throbbing shaft was pushed against his leg behind the pylon, but the incessant throbbing stopped and the precum turned clear before subsiding. Normal color returned to the flesh, though the base was wider, swollen. With one more gasp Blu collapsed against the pylon, his head laying on it, his chest still trapped by it. Blu was still for a long moment, his circuits steady, his simulated breathing constant. When he finally did move he turned his head to look at Noah, concern crossing his face.

"Are... Are you alright?" Blu asked softly, grief crossing his face, "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to... That thing, he... That guard, he changed right in front of me and then he attacked me, and... It was all wrong, but it felt so good... I couldn't... I tried not to, but I did... and then I saw you. I... I'm so sorry." Blu murmured, looking forlorn. Despite being taller and wider than Noah, he seemed to be the young program once more, his eyes pleading for forgiveness... and then realization crossed his face and he looked even more startled, "You're... the user, the creator, aren't you?" Blu whispered, "I'm so sorry!" he whimpered, lowering his head, clenching his eyes shut. Surely he would be derezzed for what he had done... but he deserved it. He shook gently for a moment before calming himself, trying to prepare for what was to come.

This was the reason why Noah hid himself within his own world... his Eden. The programs would worship him like a God, not nourish him as a friend... as a companion and compatriot. He looked at the hunky Blu with disheartened eyes. But, as his gaze continued on Blu's disfigured body, he felt rage engulf him.

"Blu....I am not going to end you. You are my only good friend within this world. And I am going to find the bastard that has done this to you!" Noah pledged, releasing Blu onto his new legs. Blu seemed unstable at first, his legs functioning differently but after a short moment he adapted. He moved toward Noah to hug him before blushing, passing a hand over his exposed crotch. The fabric of his bodysuit mended, the material pixelating across until it hid his package. Blu resumed his advance and wrapped his arms around Noah, giving him a gentle hug despite the program's new size.

"You could have had all the friends you wanted... You are an amazing pro-" Blu stopped himself, giving a sheepish smile, "Person." he corrected. Noah's eyes watered in his friend's embrace, a warm tear trailing down his face, resting upon Blu's shoulder. Noah broke the hug and wiped his tear filled face.

"Let's.... let's go Blu, we need to find that guy." Noah stiffled, a smile upon his face. Blu shifted his feet a bit, his canine like ears flattening against his head a bit.

"The last thing I want to do is let you get hurt, even if you weren't a user... But I also don't think you'll take this lying down, you programed me to understand people's tastes." Blu said with a lop-sided grin, "The program that attacked me started out as a Guard, and if anything has slipped into Eden then it had to come through the port, and there's usually only one running at a time. I know that port like the back of my hand, some of those music files aren't easy to come by on the network. Seems like a good place to start." Blu offered, his ears perking up again. Noah was rather intrigued at the complexity of the virus and how deep it had gotten into Blu's code, while at the same time feeling a bit of pride at how efficiently his subroutine had stablized the damage and turned it into something... completely new.

"Lemme have your disc Blu. I wanna see something." Noah requested, extending his hand. Without reservation Blu took his disc from his back and offered it reverently to Noah. Noah's palms were grazed by Blu's sharp nails, sending shivers up the user's spine. He pushed his feelings aside for the moment and opened the disc's interface. There was a flood of text and he sifted through all the lines of blue code, searching for the remains of the root of the virus. "Hopefully I can find the remnants of the virus in here, and get it contained so I can see who I'm up against." Noah stated, glancing up at Blu before beginning to walk towards their next destination. "Come on, we better walk and chew at the same time if we want to get there." He told Blu. Blu scoffed.

"If we're going, we might as well go in style." Blu gloated, pulling out the baton from his hip. He pulled the baton apart and held it out. Light spilled in-between the two pieces, the light forming into lines that stretched back and apart. Noah had seen the formation of lightcycles countless times, but this... was forming differently. The lights formed rings for the wheels, the engine core, the main housing.. but the handlebars were higher, the seat longer, the wheels somehow even thicker. The light became substance and the bike materialized. At first glance it seemed to remind Noah almost of a Harley, lacking the fluid grace of Eden and almost possessing an animal prowess. Blu lifted a large leg and slipped up over the bike, leaning forward to grip the handlebar. He glanced over to Noah with a grin, folding his tail out of the way, "You wanted a ride?" he asked, his ears pointing right at Noah expectantly. A smirk grew across Noah's face. Blu was always hot, and with him in that bike, even with the new features, he looked damn sexy.

"I sure would like that." Noah acknowledged, returning the disc to Blu's back before swinging his leg over the bike. There wasn't much room for him on the bike, but he didn't care. It was one more reason to be closer to Blu. He wrapped his arms around Blu's thick torso and laced his hands together against his abdomen, pressing his crotch against Blu's rear. Blu grinned, his fanged smile primal despite his personality having returned to the sweet kid Noah had made. With a gentle movement of his hand he revved the cycle and it roared to life. A powerful vibration moved up through Blu and Noah, almost massaging Noah as he clung to Blu. A shimmering came as a helmet formed over Blu's head. Tall, firm pointed covers formed above his ears, the smooth obsidian glass sloping down along his head... although it didn't follow the contours of his face. The helmet jutted forward into almost a muzzle, much like Vanguard had.

With his helmet in place, Blu leaned forward and the two rocketed out of the alleyway, navigating through the backwater paths before darting out onto the main street. They passed other lightcycles and carriers, Blu leaning one way and then the other to bring them around and between at impossible speeds. Noah was helpless but to cling onto Blu, watching his system race by until they left the core of the system, heading out toward the boundaries of the system. The further out they traveled, the less dense the buildings were until they were traveling on open road.

Floating high above them in the distance was the port, suspended in the air by glowing engines, a solar sailor docked inside the firewall, ready to head out into the network. Noah knew the port well, it had some of his best security... and even that had been breached somehow by the pernicious virus.He nudged Blu a bit, the bike vibrating against his ass, though pleasant, he didn't want to get an erection and have Blu know about it.

"Can this thing go any faster?!" He yelled at Blu, daring not to lift his head into the howling wind as they continued passing the few remaining vehicles left and right. Blu grinned, leaning down further. The back of the bike shimmered before an arch began forming over them, sloping just over Noah and Blu's head, meeting the handlebars and forming a canopy down the sides. The handlebars shifted forward more and soon Noah was pressed tight to his creation's ass, laying over his back. As the bike reconfigured the vibration went away, the cycle racing forward at obscene speeds, an afterglow of teal shimmering behind them without forming the cycle's customary band.

Like the four winds themselves, the cycle left Eden behind, traveling over one of the few stray roads to cross the Outlands. They made excellent time, finally reaching the ground beneath the port before the bike finally slowed, coming to a stop. The canopy derezzed and Blu lifted his head up, putting one boot on the ground to keep them up. His muzzled head looked up, the port reflecting on the obsidian glass that made up his helmet.Noah straightened himself up and disembarked the bike, his dirty blonde hair a mess from the turbulence they experienced, but it soon slipped back into it's default configuration. He grabbed Blu's hand and guided him off the bike. Blu pushed the handlebars back together, the bike dissolving into light and disappearing. Blu followed Noah, looking to his user.

"Hold onto my hand." Noah warned Blu as his left foot stomped the ground. A hexagonal portion of the silicon around them shimmered before it lifted up and away from the outlands, quickly accelerating up towards the port. Blu looked down at his feet, realizing that it was being kept completely stationary on the tile, holding him in place. As they rose higher and higher he realized that was most likely for the best. With sudden deceleration the tile came to a stop perfectly even with the floating port, high above the ground. A cool simulated breeze whistled over them, deflecting around the office built onto the platform.

While Noah and Blu had some cover from the office, they could see a great deal of motion around the corner by the Solar Sailer. Noah's own guards were loading crates of files and information, even energy onto the transport to send out of the system. The guards were operating completely outside of their parameters, their glistening black and purple bodies usually relegated to standing watch but now were petty lackeys moving crates. The Solar Sailer's petals were still tucked tightly to the craft, the departure still some ways away it seemed.

"Please watch your step as you disembark the lift." Noah chuckled, releasing their feet from the allocated stone. He was the first to walk onto the port's platform, lending Blu a hand. If it weren't for the fact that they were tracking the virus down, Noah would be unable to keep his hands off of Blu. Blu followed Noah onto the port, looking around before his eyes went wide. He reached out and grabbed Noah's shoulder, pulling him back around the corner of the office. A deep growling came around from the far side as huge black claws clacked against the surface of the platform, a drooling extended muzzle moving part way out past the obstruction. Vanguard turned his beastly head to look along the far side of the platform. Seeing nothing, he turned around, his spiked whip tail swaying in the air before he disappeared from sight again.

"What was it?" Noah whispered to Blu, though he didn't mind being man handled by his creation.

"The beast that changed me, he's standing watch." Blu said, "I should... lure him away, you've got so much to deal with." Blu murmured. Noah didn't want it to come to that but Blu was right. Still, he could surely do something... Noah pressed his hand against the wall, both Blu and him spun, the wall revolving them into the office. The room was vacant and dark, plus, it gave Blu and Noah access to the platform's control panel. Noah moved across the office to the main console, crouching down below the windows to keep out of view.

"Keep watch, I'm gonna see when they are going to leave, maybe I could disable it." Noah told Blu as his fingers tapped on the obsidian panel and went to work. The black surface flooded with code and he began to type randomly, bringing up the time schedule. The system had already been tampered with. There was no record of the transaction taking place, no information that any network activity had been going on. It was obvious it was the virus' attempt to keep the user from detecting the infection. It also kept Noah from knowing when it was time to go.

"Oh there you are!" Came a manly, pleasant voice from outside. From Noah's vantage he could see through a narrow gap between the console and the window. A tall figure with a black bodysuit and cracked neon green lines strode across the platform with confidence. There was a sudden patter of claws before there was a thump. Vanguard had ran to Vice, pushing off so his front paws landed on the virus' shoulders. The degraded beast leaned in, a dripping black tongue slobbering all over Vice's face. Vice cooed before opening his mouth, kissing Vanguard for a moment before he broke it, reaching to rub between the beast's horns. Vice smiled, "I had never expected my code to do that to you... but it's fitting. What a nice guard you have become." Vice said. A deep resonating purr of happiness came from Vanguard, so potent Noah could feel it in his own chest through the wall. Noah dropped down and looked at Blu, their eyes meeting. With the hopes of stopping the Solar Sailer from departing, Noah crawled over to Blu. He pressed his back to the wall adjacent to Blu.

"What're we going to do? He's....corrupted everything.." Noah whispered, pressing against Blu's shoulder.

"Well... you saved me. Most of the guards don't look infected as badly." Blu said, contemplating, "You can't redirect the sailer if it isn't on the record, but you could lock out the platform from future use and you could use what you did on me on the guards, would that work? Preserve whatever code is left from their creation?" Blu asked.

"That is why I made you...you always have good ideas.." Noah appreciated, hugging Blu's broad torso. "Get my back!" Noah lunged, bursting through the window. The shards scattered out, clattering along the platform before they sizzled and degraded into nothing. Purple lights across the platform began flashing. Vice's eyes narrowed as he looked around, trying to isolate the change, the threat to his purpose. Noah jumped into the air before bringing his fist onto the platform. The immense platform rippled, a wave of light and code surging through the superstructure. The alarms and flashing lights faded away and the guards came to a standstill. Their identity discs flashed brightly, resetting to violet and then purple once more.

It was a very different matter where Vice was standing. The platform beneath him shimmered, his boots glowing a sickly green and crackling. Vice sneered, showing sharp teeth as he began walking across the platform. His footprints shimmered before fading. A sorrowful, deep growl came from nearby as Vanguard spasmed and throbbed, falling onto his side, his circuits flickering violently. There was no choice but to abandon this project for the moment. Vice held up his hand, his palm glowing. A deep resonating hum came from the Solar Sailer as it began to move, pulling out of the station and heading towards the port. Vice turned and started to run, heading towards it. Blu and Noah chased down the Solar Sailer as it began to creep away from the platform.

Noah and Blu saw the virus attempting to escape and broke into a run. Vice had a head start, having been standing on the part of the platform closest to the port... but the sailer was picking up speed faster than it was designed for. As Noah huffed and puffed, it seemed that Vice and Blu had the advantage, but even Blu wasn't making ground fast enough. As they watched, Vice headed not for the sailer but for the end of the platform. He reached the edge and leaped off of it. The user watched in surprise before the virus spread his arms and the gap between them and his body filled with green light. The grid of hexagonal green energy caught the wind and the virus sailed up, arching towards the bow of the sailer, catching a part of the frame and pulling up.

Blu growled. He wasn't going to fail his user. He pulled out his baton and focused. One end surged, shooting out like a grappling hook, affixing itself to the tail end of the sailer... and promptly being pulled. Blu held out his arm, catching Noah around the waist, their four feet sliding across the platform before they swung off the end. Blu held Noah tight, starting to retract the energy cord linking them to the craft. They began rising upwards, dangling high above the outlands.

"AAAAAHHHH!" Noah yelled, terrified at the extreme height. Every limb upon him was clamped to Blu's strong body. They wobbled, suspended by the moving craft, rising up more and more. Soon, the grappling hook's line was reeled back up, leaving them directly beneath the sailer. Blu reached over with his large hand, grabbing Noah around the waist again. He began pulling his user from his body as much as he regretted it, lifting him up toward the lower deck of the craft with surprising ease. The minute the deck came to view, Noah grabbed hold and scampered onto it. He propped himself against the inside wall of the sailer's cargo hold and watched as the rather dexterous Blu pulled himself up in an elegant movement.

"Show off." Noah snickered playfully, running his fingers through his dirty blond hair. The Solar Sailer shuddered as it moved out of Eden and into the void between systems, causing both of them to grip the walls in order to not slip and fall. Light died away round them, the void as black as night. The sailer itself gave a dull blue glow, each cargo block lined with lights. Once the shaking was over, there was a surge of energy as the sailer accelerated constantly, its velocity was incredible. Noah glanced at Blu, both knew they had to get topside.....and fast. They ran together step for step between the blocks of cargo, reaching a ladder. Blu took charge, climbing up first to make sure it was safe. He peered up from the gap between cargo blocks, looking along the catwalk at the top of the Solar Sailer.

Vice stood at the front of the solar sailor, his eyes gazing forward as if he could see their destination when no one else could. His hands were braced behind his back, both resting on his spine just above his ass. His chest rose and fell as he calculated his options. The situation in Eden had changed suddenly, completely. He had underestimated the phantom user... but Eden had brought him the closest to the information he needed, wanted....craved. He'd have to figure out a way back. Blu and Noah climbed onto the catwalk, their advance muffled by the howling of the abyss zooming past them. Noah and Blu moved to the sides of the catwalk, keeping low. They gestured to each other with their hands and glances, moving to drop down off the side and hang between two containers when Vice peered back as if he smelled something in the wind. Seeing nothing, Vice looked back forward, giving the two a chance to stand back up.

Blu nodded and at once Blu charged at Vice, his boots thumping against the catwalk as he lunged at the unsuspecting virus. Noah tumbled up from the side of the catwalk and aimed his baton at Vice as Blu distracted the virus. The end emitted a ray of light that dispersed into a net of white energy, the corners ending with barbed hooks. Vice easily deflected Blu's lunge, but the net snared him. The barbed hooks pinned him against the grating, bringing him down onto his knees. Vice looked up, a mad glint in his eyes before he flexed his fingers and brought them down.

Just as Noah had done on the platform, Vice was sending out a wave of energy. Noah watched the metal and glass ripple as a wave of green passed through it. The leading edge knocked Blu off his feet. He rolled uncontrollably and slipped off the edge, one hand grabbing on for support. In the wake of the energy wave, something else was happening. The steel catwalk was turning black, beneath it the cargo containers were changing, the blue lights turning green and the white framework becoming black. The glass frosted, looking far more menacing than it had before... and the entire craft began accelerating much more. Noah reacted quickly and ran to get Blu. He grabbed his forearm with both hands and began to pull him up. Blu gazed up at his user with gratitude... and love. He had been saved not once, not twice, but countless times in such a short time by Noah.

"Don't worry......I got you." Noah assured as Blu moved to help out, his free hand grabbing onto the cargo's ledge and he was able to get up. From behind the two there was a sudden groan of collapsing metal. The net fell limp over a hole in the grating. They both looked at the hole where Vice had been. Both were alarmed and were checking their surroundings for the nefarious virus. "Show yourself coward!" Noah ordered. There was a chuckling from beneath them.

"So you really were around... Not just a ghost in the machine, not just a rumor?" Vice's voice drifted up from below deck, "You moved among the people and never let them know you were there... It is ironic." he chided, still not visible. Noah really wasn't liking this virus, he tried to interact with the Solar Sailer, but it was useless....everything was corrupted and beyond his reach. Blu and Noah stood back to back, making sure they weren't going to be jumped. There was a sudden whistling as a neon green identity disc shot out from the cargo pods, arching up and coming back, narrowly missing Noah before it swung back beneath the deck. It took sophisticated motor control to get the swing just right for an arc. Blu reached over his shoulder and brought out his own disc, the edge glowing brightly as he readied for battle. Noah took his own and divided it into two, before flexing his fingers and separating them again, creating four discs a quarter of the original size. Blu blinked in shock.

"You're just showing off..." Blu muttered before smirking.

"Well, when you're the user....you get perks." Noah explained, bringing them ready to attack. "If you show yourself, unarmed, we could talk...." Noah offered, trying diplomacy rather than brute force. There was a long, silent pause..... then movement. A figure sprung up, landing on the catwalk. His identity disc was replaced along his spine, his eyes gazing forward. Vice was tall and lithe, his hair almost as bright of neon green as his circuits. The hair in the back was fluffed up and stylized, two long bangs hanging on either side of his face. He stood a fair distance from Noah and Blu, looking them over.

"What shall we talk about, user?" Vice asked, his voice carrying well despite the noise. Noah merged his discs together and placed it in its carrier.

"Let's start with greetings, keep it gentlemen like..... Hello, I'm Noah, and you are?" Noah introduced, signaling for Blu to lower his disc. Blu looked at Noah, not wanting to let his guard down but he lowered the disc finally, the edge going dim. Vice grinned a bit.

"My designation is Vice... Nice to meet you Noah, and to see you in person Blu. Vanguard told me about you." Vice replied. Blu all but growled. Noah was uneasy of him bringing up Blu, but he had to keep the talk going.

"So, Vice, what brought you to Eden?" Noah asked, trying to keep himself from tearing the virus to pieces, along with keeping Blu tame.

"I was designed with one purpose, one purpose only... To collect the information my creator requires to complete his work... To make my system as good as the ones you were given, to give my creator the power you freely flaunt... to let him walk among the programs he created, to see our world with his own eyes." Vice said, sounding very much as if he had gained the bitterness of a user without the full tron code... a hacker. There had been rumors of hackers getting their hands on the Tron code, but Noah had never encountered evidence. Noah calculated his options and they weren't good for the virus.

"Vice.....there are better ways to spend your life," Noah acknowledged, trying to talk to the hacker rather than the virus. "With the complexity of your code.......you could have created a world far greater than the one I was practically given. A world far from the norm, ruled by freedom.....and dreams. Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than successful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'press on' has solved and always will solve problems."

"Are humans always so full of babble?" Vice asked, his eyes narrowing, "Or are you trying to buy time? I am open to talk, to making this work... Laying aside my abilities, even my very existence if you will grant my creator the power to enter his own world, to be among his programs. You know full well that Tron systems require their users, not just designers from the outside. Even when you are not in your system you can see it in your head, can't you? Because you've been there..." Vice replied. Noah was pinned, he had ran out of options.

"Only Sam Flynn could give you that ability," Noah started, "or you could build your own bridge into this world. If you have the dream.....you can accomplish it. But, if you continue this way, your advance ends now." Noah enforced his threat with bringing out his four discs yet again, signaling for Blu to ready his disc. "So, will you want to end this now... or be allowed to remain in existence?"

"I cannot build the bridge, nor can my creator... But he created me, and I will take that information even if I have to take it from inside you." Vice said, pulling his disc off. There was a flash of light as he adapted his own code and the discs split into two. Vice brought them apart, dropping into a predatory crouch before he began charging. Blu let out a roar, his muzzle shaped helmet slipping back over his face, as he charged in turn. The two programs closed the gap between them quickly. Noah took crack shots with his four miniaturized discs, trying to make Vice falter as he fought Blu. The discs seemed to narrowly buzz past Vice, but Noah took each aim cautiously, ensuring that they wouldn't be able to damage Blu.

As the Solar Sailer shot through void, they fought with ferocity and candor. Light flashed with every clash of the discs, Vice mercilessly forcing Blu back as he blocked the behemoth's attack and then struck back with his own spare disc. Blu was getting closer and closer to his user... but even in the midst of fighting, Noah felt something was wrong, that something was different. The void around him felt... wrong. There were no changes to the sights or the sounds, but something in Noah's gut told him it was different. Even amid the roaring wind in the tunnel, Noah realized with a terrifying sensation that he was no longer moving. The Solar Sailer had stopped... they were in some sort of mirage.

"Blu get back!" Noah ordered. Blu gave up his attack and moved to get to Noah, letting Vice advance even faster. The virus slashed out, catching Blu's shoulder, light spilling out from where the blade penetrated his skin. Blu rolled, getting behind Noah, springing up to help him. Vice came face to face with Noah, a grin crossing the virus' face. Noah shoved the virus back several feet, a ring of energy emanating from the contact. Then, he quickly unleashed three discs, each arcing towards Vice as he sailed through the air. Noah ran forward for the incredible speed, going for the kill. He lunged forward, pushing off the grating to come down on Vice with calculated and deadly accuracy. Vice lifted his hand up, his claws glowing with unnatural energy as Noah came down at him. The new variable within the fight set Noah back, he adjusted his approach by tucking in a leg, pushing off of Vice's chest as an escape maneuver to give him a boost. Noah looked back at the virus, throwing his final disc directly at Vice before landing on the catwalk. Noah reached one hand above his head and caught the three previously thrown discs, forming one in that hand. Vice tried to block the shot with his hand. The disc cut through it easily but it had given the virus time to move his head out of the way, the disc sticking into the catwalk's grating.

With one last glare, Vice ran to the side of the Solar Sailer and pushed off, spreading his arms and forming wings once more. He glided seemingly into the void before suddenly disappearing in a flash of white light. Blu looked at where the virus had disappeared, wondering if he had deleted himself rather than to be destroyed by the hand of a user... but his thoughts were soon interrupted as the Solar Sailer began glowing, the metal losing cohesion, the glass becoming completely transparent. Noah's last disc started to sink as the sailor began collapsing. Like fine grains of sand, the lower level was dissolving into light. Noah ran and grabbed his last disc, pulling it out of the murky soup that had been firm metal.

"Run! We gotta get off!" Noah yelled, stopping to look at Blu. "Are you going to be able to make it?" Noah asked. Blu was holding his shoulder but nodded.

"Where do we go?" Blu asked, worried. He didn't have the intuition that Noah had, he had no way to believe they were anywhere but between ports, lost on the network. Noah trusted his gut feeling and grabbed Blu's unharmed shoulder.

"JUMP!" Noah yelled and Blu listened. The grating below them disintegrated as their feet left it, their bodies arching through the air. The mirage was perfect, complete. It seemed like they were falling through vast emptiness before suddenly they both hit hard ground, rolling roughly along a loading dock. Noah hit a raised lip on the edge but Blu emerged at the top of some stairs, rolling roughly down four or five before hitting the deep gray silicon ground below. Before Noah had even opened his eyes, the sound of thunder rumbled in his ears, light flashing all around him. Noah rubbed his head and looked around, scoping the area. He saw that the dock was vacant, save for themselves. The large mirage that whirled in the vast space was shielded in a quarter of a tunnel built into the very edge of the system, but that was the least of Noah's concerns.

As the user turned around to face away from the dock, he saw a truly remarkable sight... another system. Years of work, countless hours inside the system... he had never seen anything outside of Eden. None of the Destiny project's users had crossed over to another... But here Noah was, looking out across the vast wilderness... and wilderness was putting it politely. The system before him was still full of the rugged silicon that made up the raw outlands, barely harnessed. Rivers of pure energy flowed through wildly, moving like soup in some parts before cascading down waterfalls into insanely deep crevices. In the distance, Noah could see movement on some of them, glowing silver and white boats drifting along peacefully.

While the system was unrefined, Noah could see what Vice had been alluding to. Random structures dotted the system... Towers, buildings, bridges... but they lacked any theme, any cohesion. Some buildings were upside down, others leaning at angles. One tower was set sideways onto two other buildings to form a new structure. It was a city built by the blind, pieced together by luck and chance... But there were signs of true civilization. The harsh rock of the outlands was interrupted by pristine and perfect roads, glittering like black obsidian veins. The lines on the road were the same dull blue of Eden. Lightcycles raced along them, the hum a sound Noah had heard a million times.

"There!" Blu groaned, pointing. His finger was extended toward the end of the port where a massive Recognizer lifted off, the massive craft's circuits turning neon green as it lifted up into the atmosphere before finally gliding toward the center of the system. Noah wasn't worried about getting Vice for now..... They were in his domain, and he wasn't going anywhere. He hurried over to Blu's side, propping him up to a sitting position.

"Let me fix you up, okay luv?" Noah said, taking Blu's identity disc and examining it.

"Love..." Blu whispered softly. He gave a small smile before grabbing Noah's head with his good hand, pulling him close. Blu pushed his lips to Noah's, letting them brush together for a long moment. Despite Blu's face being covered in a short, dark stubble after the changes, it felt impossibly soft against Noah's skin. Noah dropped the disc and brought his arms around Blu's neck, taking caution not to harm Blu's injured shoulder. Their lips stayed locked in a passionate kiss as Noah moved to lay upon his creat...... partner's abdomen.

"Yes.....love." Noah repeated into Blu's wolfish ear, before biting his neck. Blu exhaled sharply in delight, grunting in passion. He moved, nipping at Noah's neck, his sharper fangs grazing the skin before the program started sucking on it. Despite being in a computer, Noah felt the sting of blood rushing to the surface. Blu was marking him. The moment was hot with spirit. Noah rose enough to gaze into Blu's sapphire blue eyes. "I want you....." Noah cooed, running his hand to Blu's crotch, giving it an enthusiastic grope. Blu gave an excited grin.

"Here, now?" Blu asked, grunting as his member responded to the creator's touch, growing quite hard, the bodysuit melding out into a bulge. Blu moved to suck and nibble the other side of Noah's neck, his good hand roaming all over Noah's abdomen before massaging his groin lustfully. Noah arched his back. He never had anyone touch him in the system like that... it was amazing. He sat up quickly before tearing off his own body armor, the black bodysuit derezzing to leave his smooth skin bare, the warm tone contrasting with the immense gray around them. Noah began to worm his fingers beneath Blu's plates before peeling the program's armor away, tossing it aside. Blu's bodysuit derezzed as well, his constrained member springing out from his groin semi-erect. Blu practically drooled as Noah released his shaft. It had returned to a more normal color, though the base was swollen much like a canine knot.

"Creator, my user, my love..." Blu grunted, pushing Noah onto the ground, moving to hump him gently. Noah felt the hot, hard shaft of his program rubbing against his own quite eagerly. He took his hands, he hated how Vice corrupted Blu, but the animalistic flavor in his stabalized code was rather..... erotic. Noah gazed upon Blu's deformed shaft,half way between human and animal......he truly wanted to maintain Blu's physique, but that partially canine cock looked like it would be amazing inside him. He took his hand and groped Blu's shaft again, coming to his conclusion.

"This will be for both of our pleasure babe." Noah assured Blu. Blu smiled, watching in awe as the palm of Noah's hand began radiating light as he began reconfiguring Blu's genitals. Noah's fingers closed around the length, sliding up and down once before closing over the head of Blu's shaft. He drew it down the length, the entire member glowing before Noah worked back toward the tip. Fixed to Blu's abdomen was a furry sheath protecting a deep red, glistening canine shaft that drooped from it. Noah drew his hand off, a string of precum connecting his hand to the shaft even as it drooled and dribbled even more. Blu's eyes were wide and wild as he groaned, his tongue hanging out of his mouth, his canine ears going flat against his head. His cock throbbed hard, his programing taking cues from Noah's mind itself for his instincts.

Without warning Blu got up and moved, pushing Noah forward, moving to start humping against him. Noah felt Blu's hot, slimy dog cock slathering across his ass cheeks before sliding up and down in the gap between them, getting progressively closer to his hole. Noah began to rock back and forth, feeling Blu humping him as if he were a leg. Blu kept one arm at his side, the shoulder still damaged but he wasn't going to let that stop him.

"Here, let me help you." Noah offered, gliding his hand down to the flustered Blu's throbbing dick, guiding it to his hole. Noah nodded to Blu, the canine cock throbbing against his sphincter, spewing more precum in between his cheeks. Blu gasped in delight, feeling the bliss of spewing his juices into his creator, his master, his lover. He began pushing forward, the pointed shaft spreading the hole wider for the thicker base. As Blu thrust in, he reached down to wrap his hand around his master's exposed shaft, squeezing and massaging it before starting to move it from base to tip and back again, picking up speed. Blu leaned into Noah's neck, inhaling his scent before licking the skin and then biting gently, his fangs nearly breaking the user's skin.

Noah flinched as Blu nipped him, receiving another bite mark upon his soft skin. But that didn't deter him from experiencing such wonderful pleasure as Blu continued to thrust, his good arm wrapping around Noah's torso as he rammed his knot against the human's anus. Their combined weight was supported upon Noah's arms now, but that merely made both of them quicken their pace as they made love. Blu was running off of pure instinct now, his ears perked forward in a goofy way. The pressure built and built against Noah's ass until there was a satisfying plop, the knotted flesh sliding in. Blu kept thrusting but his cock never emerged from Noah, the canine member buried deep inside him, radiating such heat and warmth, filling Noah with thick precum. Blu's tail wagged eagerly as he clenched his eyes shut, feeling so manly, so amazing.

Another pressure was building deep within Blu....but were centered at his balls. The furry, swinging balls were clenching to the program's crotch, signaling that it was primed for release. Blu kept thrusting, instincts searing into his programming before he lifted his head and let out a deep howl. His huge shaft pulsed and began spraying thick cum into Noah, feeling so very real. Blu kept thrusting even as he came, churning it in Noah's ass before at last he thrust as deep as he could, his knot reaching its full thickness, locking him tight. Blu brought his head down onto Noah's shoulder, shuddering as he kept cumming, the last of his orgasm moving through his body. Noah's nails were digging through the grey cement around them, particles clumping under his fingernails. It may not have been his system, but he was still a user. Blu's cock rested against Noah's prostate, adding constant pleasure and heat, bringing Noah to an immense orgasm. Before long Noah's shaft was pulsating as it sprayed his seed onto the ground before him. They collapsed onto the cool ground, their bodies sticky with warm cum. Noah felt Blu's pulsing knot deep within him, barely starting to subside.

"That...was...so real." Noah panted, sweat pouring from his forehead. He didn't want to leave Blu's warmth, he made him feel safe... wanted. Noah remained laying, his stomach down on the ground as he waited for his partner's knot to deflate completely. Blu licked Noah's neck softly.

"Of course it was real... My feelings for you aren't a simulation, I am experiencing them with you... We saved each other's lives, we're doing this together... It might be a mutation of your original intention, but it's real." Blu whispered. Noah's heart filled with joy at those words.....the Destiny program had accomplished something... Maybe not the unique life it had intended, but it was truly a digital miracle for Noah.

Chapter 6 (Enemy Ground) Written by Leo_Todrius and Porsche454

A quiet stillness remained across Enigma, a gentle wind and the occasional crash of thunder in the distance. Noah stood on the dock, peering around the tunnel edge that obscured the network trap, ensuring there were no guards coming. Blu stood at the base of the stairs, rotating his arm both to test that his shoulder had been mended and that his bodysuit was put back together properly. With the sweep for opposition done, Noah cued Blu that it was time to go. They began moving across the open landscape, darting from one piece of cover to another. Their steps were muffled by the softer parts of the silicon they ran upon. Noah led in front, being of smaller stature than his sexy partner. There was the sound of flowing energy ahead, and Noah slowed, signaling for Blu to do the same. Noah peeked his head around the boulder they hid behind. Before him was one of the vast rivers, the liquid radiating white light upwards like a glowing vein in the land. The shore was completely bare, nothing but rock grazed by current, and obsidian particles.

"Well, we better get some transportation." Noah declared, eyeing Blu. Blu was so sexy, he had to give himself merit for his craftsmanship. Noah's eyes trailed from the broad chest down to Blu's waist..... and the baton that hung there. "Blu! Hand me your lightcycle!" Noah asked overjoyed. Blu pulled the baton off his hip, grinning, knowing it could be anything his creator wished, but it seemed he already had a plan. With his baton surrendered, Blu climbed up onto the boulder and looked around. Many directions were barren, but after a moment he spotted a gap in the rock. He had almost missed it but there was a road.

"Over there!" He declared, indicating the passage. Noah thought about what they had seen and how the rivers intertwined throughout the system. They likely would lead to the center of what could scarcely be called a city.... But Noah was unsure of the roads... they were dotted by the random chaos of happenstance buildings, slap dash constructs dropped all over the place. For all he knew the roads could have been built into paradoxes that never took them to a destination. Energy was easier. Current, flow, circuits. The rivers were dependable.

"The river seems like a better route to the city Blu." Noah acknowledged. "Here, lemme make a more compatible ride." Noah separated Blu's baton and began editing the code, light emerging and pouring from it. The light trailed down before forming a floorboard beneath Noah, raising him a few inches from the shore. Pontoons wrapped around the deck, creating a raft. The glowing wire frame spread to the rear of the raft and formed four thin pillars and a wide, short cylinder. A motor roared to life atop the four pillars and the stump hollowed, forming a pair of large fan blades.

Noah was seated in front of the motor, controls in hand. He waved Blu over to the fanboat, the fans humming to life as they were brought to idle speed. Blu was about to board but he saw the one flaw in his creator's plan. With the pontoons and deck fully formed, Blu braced his hands on the end and shoved it off of the shore and onto the light river before leaping over onto the deck. Noah turned the handle in his right hand and the craft took off, moving against the current and further into the system itself. They were on their way.... hunting down Vice in the midst of enemy territory.

***

Enigma had one too many changes since the Tron asset codes had been brought back. From roads to vehicles, buildings and even programs, Proxy was working hard to adjust to it all... but he had the perfect place to do so. Proxy knelt in the middle of his glass sanctum, kneeling on the second floor of the great pyramid. The faintly orange glass sprawled with code around him, letters and numbers sent from his creator and information from the system as a whole sent back to him. In every direction beyond the island was the pulsing white lake of pure white energy, the very same colors Proxy himself held. In many ways Proxy looked like a monk, kneeling in his white robes. It was ironic he had little concept of religion... but he was at peace with himself and his surroundings. It was easy for him to hear a difference in the hum of the room, even with the disturbance was stationary.

"Welcome back, Vice." Proxy said. Vice grimaced.

"How did you hear me?" He asked from where he had been standing at the doorway.

"It's what I didn't hear. You blocked the sounds of the energy flowing through the walls on that side, the sound of the lake coming up the lift shaft." Proxy replied, pausing, "You are troubled." He added without even looking.

"Don't tell me you can hear that..." Vice said, moving forward. Proxy smiled and shook his head.

"No, I couldn't hear it, I could... sense it?" He guessed, not sure of his word choice, "Ever since the upgrade I've been discovering a sort of intuition.... Perhaps as a function to better serve our user." Proxy replied. Vice moved around Proxy and knelt down in front of him.

"A user followed me here..." Vice said softly. Proxy's eyes opened, the orange strips on his robes glowing brighter as he transmitted the information, dying down again. He knew time for his user was slower than that in the system.

"Did you infect him, or... lead him here?" Proxy asked. Vice looked surprised, both by the suggestion and the fact that he didn't do it.

"He reversed my infection, he cut off my ties... Worse, I have brought a threat to our system." Vice said. Proxy shook his head.

"You have brought an opportunity. Seeker desires nothing more than to enter his system, and this user knows how to do it. We will apologize for your misdeeds, negotiate for the information." Proxy said. Vice gritted his fangs.

"He is a user, a true Tron user... He could dismantle our system in vengeance... At least protect yourself, restrict his movements until... we can find him." Vice proposed. Proxy shook his head.

"That might provoke him... We want to befriend this user." Proxy replied.

"At the cost of our own system? If this user damages Enigma, all of Seeker's work will be for nothing..." Vice said, reaching up to caress Proxy's cheek. Proxy's eyes slipped shut and he leaned into the hand. Vice smiled more, "Please, consider the risks... We won't send tanks... Just teams that form peace delegations..." Vice whispered.

"Well... We can't put our entire system at risk...." Proxy whispered. Vice gave a fang filled smile as Proxy listened to him, ending the caress and drawing his hand back. Proxy stood up and moved away from his spot of meditation, heading over to one of the pyramid walls. Vice stood up and followed, stopping just behind Proxy. His reflection glinted in the glass as Proxy put his hand to it, sending rippling waves of energy out into the structure.

***

The fanboat sailed across the river of light, taking Noah and his partner further into the heart of Enigma. Noah followed the artery that flowed throughout the system, the girth of that particular river enabling for his mind to examine the beauty that passed him as he steered. The hacker that made Enigma had to have great knowledge, even if he created the monster that was Vice. There was so much realism in the system that had been crafted without all of the Tron base code, far surpassing the uniqueness found in the Grid, let alone Eden. Noah took a glimpse at Blu as the synthetic wind whipped through his mohawk and fur. The wolfman was enjoying the sights of Enigma as well......though he seemed to be.... smelling the air, as if there were scents in it.

"Blu, what are you doing?" Noah asked, decreasing the fanboats velocity, only enough to keep it in place against the river's current. Blu pulled his head back, his ears flattening against his head. He looked confused for a long moment.

"I don't know... But something's wrong," Blu said softly, lowering his head, "I don't know how." He murmured. Noah acknowledged Blu's feelings and gave Blu a quick, loving embrace before climbing back into the elevated seat, ready to flee if there were battle boats or ships sent after them. The fanboat crawled forward up the river by Noah's hand, the user listening, watching, and sensing. The only sound that met both of their ears was the drone of the fanboat's engine. Out of the stillness there was a silence almost too complete, something on the edge of Noah's awareness... and then the realization. The atmosphere filled with light, the lightning above becoming oddly organized before shimmering walls of color rose up to meet the sky; orange, green, blue, yellow, red... There was no rhyme or reason, the colors were random. Their effect was not.

While the fanboat continued forward, the current died down in the river, choked off by the barriers. There was still flow, but it was precisely regulated. The entire system seemed to be segmented, cordoned off. Noah could see through the lemon yellow wall ahead of them, through half a dozen walls until their mutual interference built up enough to obscure their destination. They had been cut off. Noah looked at Blu as the engine was turned off.

"Well........what're we going to do now?" Noah asked, climbing down to stand beside Blu. He rested his arm around the program's torso, bringing him closer. "You got any ideas luv?" Noah cooed as he looked around, the wall pressing up to the 'heavens' above, far too high to fly out. Blu looked around, his eyes combing the vast reaches within their proverbial cell. He paused, spotting a structure in the distance. From the one side it looked like a normal rectangle, but as the fanboat started to slowly drift back on the slight current, they could see it was an optical illusion. The edge of the building curved out, forming a sloping triangular prism. From Blu's vantage point, it was surely a unique structure, and the only major sign of civilization within their reach.

"Maybe we could get information to help us out?" Blu suggested. Noah removed his arm from around Blu's torso and propped his foot upon the edge of the fanboat.

"It's our only hope for an answer.......let alone a way to get out of here." Noah added. He spun around and looked at Blu with a serious face, "I don't like the possibility of it being a trap... but it's better than staying here. I'll get us to shore." Noah explained, giving Blu a peck on the lips before climbing back into his chair. With a deft operation he took the fanboat to shore smoothly. Blu was glad they had traveled on the largest river. The rest wouldn't have been wide enough to maneuver so efficiently. Blu stepped off of the boat and onto the land, waiting for Noah, glancing to where the baton had integrated into the bow. Noah walked to the bow and casually jumped off, taking the batons with him, the fanboat dissolving into a pool of light before leaving no trace but the wake on the gravel shore. "Shall we?" Noah gestured, grabbing Blu's claw tipped hands, a smile upon his face.

Blu gave Noah's hand a squeeze and they began walking, crossing open ground. It was certainly slower than the fanboat had been but they drew less attention. Every so often they would pass a tiny crack in the ground, glowing white with subterranean energy. It seemed that Enigma's balance was offset from the Tron Norm... There was too much power coursing through the system and not enough substance. After what seemed like twenty minutes, the two were close enough to the building to make out finer details. It was even more abstract than both Blu and Noah had guessed. Grooves ran along the structure, creating strips of windows with now intersections. The way they curved and flexed and followed the contours would have been impossible in the real world. Noah's eyes were drawn to the single point of light above the doorway.

"Torre di Divertimento?" Noah articulated, reading out the exotic script that glimmered. A large program stood outside of the doors, his bodysuit an opaque, almost dusty black. The program's circuits were an unusual sort of a light brown, contrasting the program's very dark skin. Noah approached the large program with Blu, surprised by the bouncer's size. He was even taller than Blu, another outlier in the system. "May we get in?" Noah asked the program, tilting his head up in order to see his face. The man gazed on ahead.

"It isn't open yet." He said, his voice inhumanly deep and slightly distorted. Noah didn't want to provoke the brick shithouse, but he needed to get answers, and he knew there had to be a way inside. "I demand as your Creator to let us in!" Noah bluffed, causing the floor to reverberate beneath the behemoth of a program. Blu took a step back to try and sell the bluff to the guard. The guard did not waiver, his eyes gazing forward.

"It isn't open yet." The guard repeated with the same distortion... before his eyes moved down to look at Noah, "And you lack the proper color." The guard said. There was a sudden shudder from the building, much like the tremble Noah had caused... but much wider spread. Blu gasped softly, looking at the building. While the structure had appeared like a dull sandstone during their entire approach, it was changing... Like a toy in a filling tub, a silvery sheen was creeping up the walls. The tan was replaced by reflective silver. Noah and Blu gazed to their reflections on the walls, the guard seeming even bigger as his reflection was stretched on the sloped wall.

A strange, eclectic type of music began spilling out of the seams of the building, filtering through and out before it carried on the wind. Blu grinned in amazement as he watched. The groves of windows flashed, then other seams flashed as well. The entire building seemed to shudder and quake before portions began rotating out, shifting into new angles like a Rubik's cube blossoming into a flower. The silver sheen faded away on some of the moving parts, leaving completely transparent glass. The insides were filled with sleek furniture, moving lights, color changing floors and lamps that were so frail they seemed to be floating.

"It is open." The guard said, reaching to open the door for the two. Blu looked at Noah with a wry smile.

"Didn't you once have to explain to me being fashionably late?" Blu asked. Noah chuckled despite being peeved at the literal nature of the guard.

"Yeah... but I'm not. Let's go." Noah commanded, dragging Blu along with him. Noah and Blu crossed over a vast dance floor, the panels changing color beneath them... but it was more than that. The interlocking squares were colors, patterns, even looking like holes that led beneath the building from moment to moment... but Noah didn't stop, making his way to the far side of the entry way to the first bar he saw. Noah looked at the program behind the bar, the man polishing a couple glasses. "Bartender! Where can I find the owner of this establishment?" Noah forcefully asked, his gaze deadly.

"He is in the indigo room... if you are able to find it." The bartender said, sizing them up, "And if you're able to let yourself find it."

"What do you mean by that!?" Noah asked, grabbing the programs collar and pulling him over the bar. Noah's hand glowed with energy, his other pounded the counter, causing the newly polished glasses to shatter, the particles derezzing. "Tell me where it is! Or he'll need to find a new bartender!" Noah demanded. Blu's muscles stiffened as he looked around, trying to puff up his chest and look bigger. It was clear that Noah's technique was alienating the entire establishment. The bartender glared at Noah, reaching to pull a hexagonal token from the wall and offer it to Noah.

"This is a place of enjoyment. You will find nothing but errors if you try and use it for anything else." The bartender said. Noah took the chip from the bartender before dropping him onto the counter, still steaming mad.

"Where is he....?" Noah asked.

"The indigo room." The bartender growled. The token chirped, showing the layout of the building. Noah gave him a quick glare before leaving the bartender with his troubles, the map layout giving them a highlighted route of where the indigo room was. Blu moved over to Noah, staying close, feeling the music reverberate through him. They moved out of the main room, following the route. They passed several individuals lingering before sections, but when Noah glanced back to the token, the path was different. Turning around proved his suspicion... the room he had just left was no longer there.

Blu looked around, watching as the halls warped around them in smooth, slow movements. Programs meandered in doorways, bobbing their head to distant music, wearing necklaces that buzzed with energy cycling through the colors of the spectrum, their own circuits seeming to glimmer brighter as the necklace got to their own color. It seemed their search would not be an easy one, but Noah was dedicated and Blu was loyal. He would follow his user across any system, any void, any challenge.

***

A hundred shades of colored lights, built one beyond the next, segmenting the entire system into neat little pieces. Vice gazed out of the pyramid at them all, his eyes calculating. It was unnatural to have the barriers, unnatural to have a user in their system that was not his own. Of all the sensations and emotions and knowledge Vice had gained since his upgrade, this was particularly unsettling... He felt the sting of defeat, the pain of losing Eden. He actually felt concern for Vanguard, feeling a longing for his viral pet. Vice's claws balled up into fists and he glared, knowing the cause of it was out there... that damned user. Vice turned suddenly, his boots stalking across the floor. He had nearly made it to the lift shaft before a hand came down on his shoulder.

"Vice, you can't harm him, we need him." Proxy urged. Vice's head turned, his eyes almost glowing green.

"There are dozens of users out there, maybe hundreds. I will not let Enigma be unraveled by this stranger. I will not let my failure compound." Vice hissed. Proxy looked somber.

"We are not simple programs any longer. We are more, we are what Seeker aspires to. The emotions are strange, illogical, but from this chaos there is balance. Do not throw off the balance, look into yourself to find what Seeker would want, how you can best help." Proxy urged. Vice's eyes narrowed even further.

"I can best help by using the powers I was given... I will find the user that holds the information we need, and I will collect it from him." Vice said. Proxy shook his head.

"I can't allow you to do that. I can't let you jeopardize the user's plans." Proxy said, his grip tightening. Vice all but growled before he closed his eyes, taking a moment to calm himself down.

"Don't make me harm you... I promise... I won't harm them, I just need to find them... I'll let everyone know where they are and you can carry out the user's will." Vice said. Proxy looked at Vice, weighing all of the factors he had at his disposal before he nodded.

"Take a security Recognizer. They can pass through the shields." Proxy said softly, knowing it would give Vice the freedom he desired but he would also have to take other programs. Vice knew the same benefits and limitations but accepted them. Proxy took his hand off the virus and watched Vice move to step onto the lift, descending out of sight. Proxy took a deep breath himself, turning and moving back to the center of the pyramid, kneeling down. He gazed upwards, gazing into the heavens, waiting for the words of the user to fill him.

*** Why did the system have to be so difficult? It was so unlike Eden... It was as difficult as reality, though more... perfect in its own way. The whole system was hard to explain, for lack of better words, it was the perfect model of reality, all of it. Noah and Blu moved further, Blu leading the way with the acquired map. The rooms they had just left were quickly shifted away and taken to another portion of the constantly shifting club. It was still amazing how smoothly the rooms shifted fluidly between each other, and with no noise. Noah was so transfixed that he bumped into the now stationary Blu.

"Hey, why'd you stop?" Noah asked, rubbing his face in annoyance. The hallway revolved and they were now at the entrance to a spacious, dormant room. The walls were the brilliant shade of indigo, white circuits pulsing calmly across the floor, up tables, spiraling up the base of stools... but the lights were off, chairs were scooted in. The room was just as Noah had interpreted, dormant. Blu looked back and forth between the indicator and the room before them. "Hey, isn't he supposed to be in here?" Noah asked, annoyed

"Maybe he is... or there's a back room... Or perhaps he is offline." Blu said, moving into the room, his studded boots causing the floor tiles to illuminate beneath him as he took each step. Noah roamed around the room with a purpose, he was going to derezz that bartender program.....giving him false information. He walked to the large window, looking what was Enigma. From their vantage point they could see even further, the lake casting as much light as a sun up from the ground... a vast glass pyramid in the midst of it. It was quite the contrast to the helix Noah had in the center of Eden... the difference between religion and science.

"You must be Noah." A voice said adjacent to Noah. The unexpected appearance of the program sent Noah back a few tiles. "Fret not, I'm not going to harm you. I'm the guy you're looking for actually, quaint, isn't it?" the program assured. He strolled across to the bar in the center of the room. And with an acrobatic leap across the counter, he popped up behind it, both hands grasping a bottle. His body was lithe, his face chiseled with a distinct square, thin jaw. He watched Noah with vibrant metallic orange eyes, his hair was combed relentlessly into a well groomed fauxhawk, teal with silver highlights. He wore a tight fighting grey shirt, which pulsed with neon orange circuits that drew out a tie and some buttons. The pants were of a normal black, with a neon orange strip humming along the hem. Blu was taken aback by the complexity of his garb... although he felt a bit of pride in his own design. Still, it seemed they had the right place.

"Now, before I am rude any further.... I am Tropus," he introduced with a confident flare, "I know my way around things and know what you are looking for.... So, what have you to offer for my assistance the all powerful Noah?" Blu looked from the strange man to Noah before he pulled the customized baton off of his belt, offering it to his creator. It seemed they were at a disadvantage, this program knew all about them... Had he been warned by Vice? Was this some kind of trap? What could they offer him that wouldn't compromise their position? Noah brushed away Blu's offering of his baton, he knew how to handle people like this... They were in search of something that you couldn't get from a normal program. Tropus used a parry knife, and chopped up some abnormally neon violet mangos before placing them into a blender.

"I would," Noah began, though the roar of the blender disallowed any further speech with its loud whirring. Tropus tossed a few swigs of some various drinks and watched as Noah grew more frustrated, it was always fun to see his costumers grow weary of his antics. Noah looked at Blu and sighed, trying to maintain his composure, waiting for Tropus to finish his drink. The blender was soon off, and Tropus poured everyone a glass of the weird concoction. "I do hope you like this, it's a special recipe" Tropus said, gesturing for Blu and Noah to get their glasses. Blu was suspicious, highly suspicious... but they needed his help.

"Let me." Blu said to Noah, offering to taste test in case it was some sort of viral subroutine. He lifted the glass and brought it to his lips, letting the glowing purple liquid fill his mouth. Blu tried to compare it to the drinks he had in Eden... but it was so much... different. It wasn't pure energy, there was code there, an attempt at substance and form. Blu looked at Noah with the most adorable and pathetic expression of confusion. He had no idea how to explain it to his creator, let alone if it was safe.

Tropus spluttered at Blu's confused facial expression. He took a quick sip of his own drink and dabbed his lips with a black handkerchief. "Well, what were you going to offer now?" he asked Noah again, setting his glass down.

"I was going to offer you something that you have never felt before..." Noah coaxed, taking a sip from his own glass. The drink tasted like mangos, oddly enough, and a hint of raspberry, with the burn of a strong alcoholic liquor splashed in. This was far different than the drinks found in Eden, this had actual flavor. "Programs don't have the warmth....the touch....the....closure that you find from someone like myself." he continued, laying the bait for Tropus.

"It's true... Just by being close, you can sense... he is different... more." Blu reassured Tropus. He wasn't sure where Noah was going, but he'd follow his lead. Blu took a deep breath, just thinking of how different Noah was. Tropus was bubbling with glee, but he didn't want to break his appearance or give anything away.

"Oh, that sounds quite divine and all, but just for you.....? Have you ever tried to sneak two people through firewalls? It's far more difficult sneaking one, let alone you two... I need something more... filling... to balance." Tropus trailed off, his eyes examining Blu, before giving him a playful wink. Blu's head lowered to his shoulders a bit, feeling suddenly like he was being examined by a diagnostic drone. He looked over at Noah, wondering if this was part of his plan. Noah smiled at Tropus and looked at Blu, this was sort of in the plan, though he didn't expect Blu to be a part of it. But they needed to get to Vice, and stop him.

"Fine, you'll have the two of us...." Noah agreed, downing his drink before setting it back on the bar counter. "So, what you want us to do? We do it here? You have a private room?" Noah asked. Tropus merely chuckled and with a smirk on his face, he clapped his hands. The room lit up a bit more before two beams of light came down from the ceiling. They connected to the floor, pulling a portion up into a raised platform. The wall behind the programs opened up with shelves.

"You may discard your clothing... it won't be needed anymore." Tropus directed, stepping out from behind the counter. He grabbed his drink and a seat, watching the duo with intent eyes. Noah reached up with his finger and placed it to the collar of his bodysuit, drawing it down. The body armor pulled back and away before the cloth beneath simply disolved in pixels, leaving his chest bare. Noah leaned down, drawing his fingers over his legs to continue disrobing. Before long he stood in nothing but a black mesh pair of underwear that hugged his ass and hips, his identity disk managing to stay against his back somehow. Noah turned to Blu, looking at his program's slightly more clumsy attempt at undressing. He still hadn't quite gotten used to some of his new body parts..

"Don't worry, he's probably one of those who gets his kicks from getting a lap dance, we'll be fine." Noah whispered, assuring Blu as he returned the stare to Tropus. Tropus waved his free hand at Blu, gesturing to quicken their disrobing as he finished his drink. The eccentric program enigmatically tossed the empty glass behind him. It arched through the air before landing squarely on the counter.

Blu continued to disrobe, taking off his body armor and placing the sections neatly into the cupboards before he stood in nothing but the mesh. Noah gave a bit of a nod, seeing how well the body suit contoured around his muscles, his shoulders, his abs. It was certainly a show to him... Noah and Blu turned, starting to walk toward the glowing poles of light.

"Ah ah ah....not so fast... I want ALL of it off." Tropus insisted, giving a wink as he steepled his fingers together. Noah moved over to Blu, intent on helping his fellow program... though he knew he had more disrobing to do himself. Once more Noah's finger acted decisively, slipping down along Blu's ample chest. The fabric derezzed to reveal the rich skin tone, the intricate tuft of chest hair he had gained from his infection, the faint discoloration of scars on his shoulder from Vanguard's bite.

Noah kept going, revealing more and more of Blu's body. He drew his finger around the groin and the fabric pulled back to reveal his hanging, ample canine cock glistening with its own moisture as it hung over fat, furry balls. Noah kept working to reveal Blu's digitigrade legs and finally wide, clawed paws. He was most certainly a unique program. Blu blushed a bit, reaching to run a hand over his beard as he looked over at Tropus, hoping not to disgust the program.

"Hip hop....I'm getting bored over here." Tropus whined childly, faking a yawn. Noah took a breath and moved, drawing his hand over his underwear. The cloth faded from view, his package revealed fully. He glanced up at Tropus who simply nodded.

"Alright Blu." Noah said softly as they moved, stepping up onto the platform and moving to the poles. Blu looked at Noah uncertainly.

"What are we supposed to do?" Blu whispered. Noah put both hands on the pole and flexed his hips back and forth, limbering up.

"It's called a pole dance... It entertains people in a.....provocative way." Noah explained. Blu watched Noah's movements and then started simulating them. Before long Noah was limber and Blu seemed to be getting the motions. Noah started to move around the pole, relying on his grip for balance when he swung a bit, flexing his leg out, crouching down and sliding back up. Each move accentuated a part of his body, from his round supple ass to his ample groin, from his fair chest to his strong shoulders. It would have been obvious to any human that he hadn't done it before but that he might have seen some... Oddly, some would have guessed the same for Blu as he copied Noah with a great deal of precision, though there were a bit of differences as his tail flecked, his ears quirked on his head, and his claws scraped along the platform.

With the basics down, Noah decided to spice things up. He started exchanging tawdry glances with Blu, expressions of desire, of wanting, of longing. Blu nearly swooned seeing his creator look at him that way. His cock swelled, his tail swung, and soft moans escaped his lips. Noah grabbed the pole behind him, leaning for Blu, almost kissing before he pulled back, his dancing quickening. Tropus was deeply enjoying the show.

"Yes! The passion! The intensity! I love it!" he roared, sliding his chair back. Tropus stood up and creeped over to where Blu was shaking his stuff, enjoying the program's unique configuration. "Is it hard doing this.....with your little doggy legs. Oh but it must feel so nice having that big cock of yours.....isn't it?" Tropus toyed with Blu and reached his hand out to give it a touch. Blu hesitantly batted away the eccentric man's hand, hoping not to cost them their chance... but he belonged to Noah. Tropus giggled and retracted his hand, but the chastisement didn't deter him. As Blu lowered for an ass swoop, Tropus took advantage and groped that lovely butt, fingers digging into the fluffy cheeks. Blu gritted his sharp teeth but didn't pull away. If keeping the program at bay wasn't going to work, perhaps it was best to just get it over with. Noah looked at how unsettling Tropus was making Blu. It pained him to see him molesting his lover.

"Hey......Tropus." Noah cooed, bending backwards behind Tropus' head. The soft addressing took his attention away from Blu as he spun around. As he saw Noah, bent ever so dexterously backwards, a kiss was planted onto his forehead before the user went back to grinding that pole. Then Noah shot a glance at Blu, clearly it was just to distract Tropus from his unwelcome advances. Blu felt reassured and focused back on the task at hand, gyrating and moving more, giving Tropus glances and careful sways of the hips, trying to bring him to the end of his line. From what they had seen, the Tron code seemed new to these programs. Hopefully they hadn't learned how to hold back to prolong their pleasure.

Tropus was spinning in the flood of pheromones that Noah was giving off, the human chemicals interpreted into such an intoxicating wave of sensation that it nearly overwhelmed his senses. It was so unfamiliar, he had never felt such....bliss. Tropus couldn't control himself anymore, he was beginning to rub against Noah feverishly. Blu bit at his lip, hoping that Noah would be able to handle the program... though he was ready to leap in at a moment's notice and rip the program apart if he did anything. But Tropus was not harming Noah, he was just using his hands for his eyes. The feel of the human skin pulsating with blood, covered in a light sheen of sweat, my god the sweat. Tropus' circuits were pounding with light, he was surely going to blow a fuse... or at least an engram. The pulsing intensified, until, in a brilliant instant they shut off and left his torso dark... but only for a second. Tropus was on his knees, his simulated lungs lacking air, his hands tightly gripping the raised platform.

"Okay...." he gasped, trying even in his diminished state to save face, "Let... let me compose myself.... and I'll get you through those barriers." Tropus slowly picked himself up onto wavering legs, feet shifting to correct his balance. Blu moved forward, putting an arm around the program to try and steady him. They didn't need a guide that collapsed before their objective was complete.

***

The sky rippled with light, a vast aurora playing with the shimmering barriers segmenting the city. Vice walked with purpose, moving up the winding stone path that led up to the highest plateau in Enigma. The entire area had been re-purposed while he had been in Eden. Poles tipped with light marked the way, glimmering like electric torches leading to a mountain keep. Vice kept moving until he reached the summit, his destination clear. The plateau had been reconfigured into the start of a vast port. Row after row of massive Recognizers had been compiled and aligned, ready to be deployed at a moment's notice.

Vice had to stop for a moment in mere admiration for how far the system had come... and to feel a bit of relief even at his own failure... but that moment was short. Vice moved along the long walkway, heading toward a pair of security guards in the center of the port. Others patrolled the area, moving in the midst of the large dormant vehicles. They all seemed to have been made from the same root code, tall and lanky with surprising strength. Their circuits glimmered a coppery orange color and their eyes were focused on the displays regarding the progress of the search. They turned, sensing Vice's approach.

"How is it going boys? Any luck?" Vice asked.

"Nothing yet." The guard replied.

"Have you focused your efforts on the sectors nearest the tunnel? What about sector five?" Vice asked.

"Right away sir." One said. The two guards turned to check and with their backs exposed, Vice thrusted his arms out, his hands pushing into the gap in the center of their identity discs. The discs flickered and turned from orange to neon green, the same light spilling out through the circuits on their bodysuits. The guards shuddered, nearly going limp when Vice drew his hand back. They leaned against the console for support, regaining their composure. Vice let out a long, delighted sigh. It felt good to be connected again, to have the support of other programs. Vice looked them both over before nodding.

"It's time." He said simply, and the guards knew what their purpose was. They turned, striding along the plateau to the nearest recognizer. One stepped in, moving quickly to the control chair. He settled down and began charging the engines. The circuitry on the massive graft flickered and turned neon green, filling with life. Vice and the remaining guard stepped onto the platform just before it started to rise, moving to stand at either side.

The cabin ascended to the top of the legs just before the engines flared to life and the craft began lifting upwards into the endless night. Vice looked down at the port, seeing that the other guards had noticed nothing out of the ordinary. No alarm had been raised, no warning had gone to Proxy. A small sense of glee flooded through Vice before he turned, looking up to where the pilot was.

"Take us to the port, we will trace their path from there." Vice commanded. The guards obeyed, taking the recognizer for the nearest barrier. The violet wall shimmered, impervious to programs and batons, to light cycles... but not to the recognizer. The massive craft pushed through as if it was nothing but light, not even slowing down as it continued. Vice grinned wide, his fangs glistening with saliva.

Chapter 7 (Recruitment) Written by Leo_Todrius and Porsche454

The air was alive with the power of the Recognizer as it flew high above the rocky surface of Enigma, a bright spotlight scanning around, narrowing in on the few stray programs trapped in each section... but there was no sign of the user Noah or his program Blu. Vice stood at the front of the craft, his neon green hair rippling in the wind as they moved in toward the tunnel that acted as Enigma's covert port. Vice turned, facing one of his neon green guards, standing tall and at alert as any guard would.

"Set us down at the port, we need a change of strategy!" Vice commanded. The guard's head snapped up to the pilot above, relaying the orders. The large horseshoe shaped craft slowed and descended, turning to face the port. The spotlight snapped off just before the large feet touched down. The rectangular cabin at the top of the craft suddenly descended, sliding down the legs until it rested against the ground.

"What is our new strategy?" The guard asked, awaiting new orders. A smile crossed Vice's face. He reached out and ran a hand over the guard's chest.

"Both of you, come with me." Vice said before he stepped off of the Recognizer, walking across to the port. Both green guards quickly moved to follow, catching up to him as Vice moved up the stairs. They were compelled to watch their master, to study his body... His lithe form, the jagged green circuitry lines that contrasted to their own ordered ones, his muscled arms and his flexible feet. They were hopelessly dedicated, their programs altered to serve the virus.

Vice reached the top of the stairs and moved to the end of the port, placing his hand on the interface for the display. A schematic came up of the adjoining network paths. There seemed to be nothing, the network extremely quiet. Vice's face narrowed in dismay, but still, he would prepare his plan. Vice moved over to the guards, reaching up to run his clawed fingers across their similar cheeks. It was sad to him how similar they were, how uniform, copies from a mold.

"How would you two like to help me more than ever before? To become something... special?" Vice asked.

"We would do anything for you Vice!" the guards said in unison. Vice smiled, looking them over.

"Just what I wanted to hear." He said softly, bringing his finger to the groin of his bodysuit. The programs watched in curiosity as the virus brought his finger down, forming a seam in the black fabric. Vice pulled the cloth apart, running his claws through the nest of neon green hair before he fondled his shaft, drawing it out. He was partially hard already, his shaft veined and throbbing, a tip of pearly viral cum at the tip. Vice thought of all that cum had done to Vanguard, his loyal pet... It had turned him into a fully fledged virus... and that was exactly what he needed.

The two guards trembled in delight as they watched the virus please himself, their eyes widening behind their dark lenses on their helmets as he collected the drop of cum on his fingertip. Vice brought it up and smeared the goo across the lips of one of the guards. The guard moaned softly and as soon as Vice took his finger away the guard licked the tainted seed from his lips, moaning even more. He shuddered, groaning. Almost at once his circuits started flickering, seeming less green and more yellow as he moved past simple infection to something more. The other guard tried to remain looking ahead, focused, but he felt a new emotion... one he hadn't felt before, jealousy.

"Don't worry... you won't be left out." Vice whispered, as if reading the program's mind. He reached down and collected a smaller drop of cum on his finger, lifting it up, holding it before the guard. The tall man quivered before he moved forward, his lips parting over the tip. Soon the guard's head was bobbing back and forth as he sucked the finger clean, licking the dangerous claw before he stood back, panting. Vice grinned, stepping back as well to admire his handiwork. Both programs writhed and murmured before the second guard to feed fell to his knees. Vice grinned wide, noticing the first subtle changes.

The first guard to feed was looking almost stronger. His muscles were growing, his shoulders were spreading, even his head was getting bigger. The guard stretched taller, his feet broadening, his gloved hands widening. Slowly his arms stretched longer, his large palms coming to rest below his waist. The body armor on his throbbed and stretched, growing just like his muscles. The shoulder pads swelled upwards, obscuring the guard's neck, making him look extremely beefy.

By contrast, the other guard was almost shrinking... He had grown shorter, thinner, lither. His arms were flexible and fair, his chest smaller. His armor rested loosely on his shoulders like a little boy trying on his brother's football gear. The guard reached up and slipped the armor plating over his head, tossing it aside. He pulled the gauntlets off his arms and dropped them, leaving his torso covered in nothing but the black mesh suit, the green glowing lines and circles underneath mimicking what had been on the armor.

The smaller male reached up and slipped off his face, revealing a fair chin, subtle cheek bones, and pointed ears. His hair appeared to be short and brown but a lighter color was spilling into the strands, a blond. The smaller guard shook his head and the hair stretched out suddenly into wavy blond hair with the hint of green at the tips, falling just past his jaw bone. To any user he would have looked like a teenage surfer boy. The glowing lines on his body shifted and contorted, forming neon green angles rather than lines, a dotted curve moving around the collar of his suit. There was a sudden flash of light as a green line moved around the boy's throat, the line spreading into a thick green glowing collar rimmed by silver.

As the smaller virus took his first gasp with his new longs, a hearty snort came from the larger guard still on his feet. The larger guard's armor had adapted to him, covering his arms and chest, his stomach and back, his legs... In many ways he looked as much tank as man. The hard armor puffed out over massive pectorals, angled around huge biceps and triceps, coated his tree trunk like legs... but what interested Vice most was the larger guard's face.

Only the guard's nose, mouth and chin were visible beneath the dark visor, the rest completely hidden. Vice watched as the guard's lips turned black, his nose flared out, his skin turned an ashen grey... and the chin widened out. The nose kept spreading until it didn't look human anymore, the mouth pushing out into a slight muzzle. Vice walked over and took a hold of the huge guard's helmet before he pulled it off.

The head beneath was undergoing a great metamorphosis. His ears were misshapen, a sort of teardrop shape. Jagged lines of code sprawled across his temples before suddenly two solid black obsidian horn nubs curved out. The horns looked promising enough to Vice before the horns began pushing out sideways, the horns coming flat out of the head to the sides. Inch after inch spilled out wider. The guard's skin shifted, a soft thin coating of fur moving over his head. His hair turned black and narrowed into a short Mohawk, making a sort of mane. The circuit lines on his armor spread wide, growing fatter than any Vice had seen, huge panels of light as wide as some program's arms.

The large guard snorted through bovine nostrils just before a glittering of gold appeared, a thick nose ring appearing, hanging from his muzzle. The last changes came from creaking below. Vice turned and looked down, watching the guard's boots shorten, widen, flatten. His knees inverted and moved behind him and the boots had become leather and metal hoofs, supporting the man's enormous waist. Next to him the smaller virus stood up, his form brilliant in contrast. Vice let out a deep sigh of satisfaction as he looked at them both. Vice turned to the smaller virus first, reaching out to caress his soft cheek.

"You, my pet, are Nim... Stealthy, sly, using any method to spread." Vice said, leaning in to kiss the new virus. Nim reached up and slipped his hands over Vice's cheek, their lips embracing, tongues swapping for a long moment before Vice pulled back and turned to the other man. Vice reached out and put his hand on the broad chest, "And you... You are Thrall... You are a strong virus, able to smash through any defense." He said, leaning in to lick the minotaur's lips.

"Yes master." Both grunted happily. A chime sounded; an alert from the port that a solar sailor was en route, ready to pass through the trap. Vice lifted his head to the heavens and let out a sigh of delight. At last something was going right. He looked back to the viruses.

"A solar sailor is coming. You will sneak aboard and use your powers to infiltrate the system it is going to... Infect the system, infect an army, do whatever it takes for us to accomplish our goals. We must learn how to build a portal for our master, to let him enter like all the other users do." Vice said, looking at the port mournfully, "I wish I was going with you... but I must stop the intruders. Good luck." Vice said softly, "Now go."

"Yes master." Both programs said, moving to jog along the port and get into position. Vice turned, moving back toward the resting Recognizer, stepping onboard before moving to the pilot's position. The cabin lifted up and the engines roared to life, the vehicle lifting up into the sky. Nim and Thrall stood at two of the gaps, gazing into the void. The tunnel was wild, dark and deep and vast, simulating the network with streams of light and energy and data flying around wildly... But as they peered through the camouflage they say the massive craft advancing, the sails glimmering with such a soft blue, the hexagonal cells almost white at the edges.

The two viruses watched as the solar sailor slowed before they ran and leapt, arching out. Nim landed on the top, skidding to a perfect stop, turning back. Thrall had dropped down, his muscles so much heavier. He grabbed a hold of the side ridge and pulled himself up, squeezing between two cargo containers full of barrels of data. Nim nodded in approval, moving to slip down a ladder and walk along the center of the cargo containers, heading toward the passenger sections near the front. He smiled, imagining all the glory he could achieve for Vice and Enigma.

***

Swirls of color and light passed along the solar sailor like an aurora filled fog, the gaps only revealing the infinite nothingness between systems. It was a somber view, almost a lonely one, but for most of the programs on the solar sailor it was completely normal. Most programs gazed ahead, thinking about their ordained function, their purpose in travel. The door to the compartment slid open as Nim stepped in, standing at the back and looking around. The long rectangular compartment was full of countless benches facing forward, black material banded together with strips of silver. Nim looked down at his circuitry pattern. Unlike his creator, the lines were clean and direct... the only hint that he was out of the ordinary was that his pattern was alinear, abstract, imbalanced.

Nim moved to the aisle and walked up, practically strutting. Despite being clearly male, his hips had a bit of curve to them, something he utilized as he walked along. He looked from program to program, disgusted how they all just gazed ahead. They were like sheep, like he had been... Too focused on function and duty to see the world for what it was. Nim thought back to the guard he had been in disgust. That program was gone; he was something... far more interesting. Nim was nearing the front of the compartment, fearing all of the programs were irredeemable when he paused, spotting crimson eyes gazing at him.

"Do you need somewhere to sit?" the figure asked. Nim was almost taken aback. The program was tall, broad shouldered, his fingers unusually long. His black hair had red highlights through it and his ears were angled to a point far taller than the rest of the programs. He was quite unique. Even his red circuits contrasted with the white and blue majority of the others. Nim gravitated toward him.

"Yes, that would be lovely." Nim said, smiling, "I was so busy looking around, I forgot to save one." Nim said. The crimson program stood up and slid over to the window, patting the seat next to him. Nim stepped in and lowered, smiling.

"I know, I had to look around myself. Sadly, I think... some of these programs are more 'basic' than others." He said. Nim gritted his teeth behind his plastered on smile. Had the program already guessed that he was different? That he was from a system that lacked access to the full Tron code? The red haired program reached up to brush his bangs out of his face, "I mean, we are all capable of so much... It just makes me sad to see programs that take everything for granted, that don't see the majesty around us." He said. Nim's eyes widened. This program felt the same way about the others, locked into their function. Nim looked over the program before smiling.

"Do you mind if I ask you a question?" Nim asked. The other program laughed.

"Go right ahead. I'm pleased that you're asking, it shows true sentience." He said. Nim grinned before he looked the man over.

"Your design differs from most that I've seen, how did it happen?" Nim asked.

"Well," The program said, pausing when he had intended to refer to his new friend, "Oh, I didn't catch your name." he blushed. Nim smiled.

"Nim." The blond virus offered. The other program grinned.

"I'm San, nice to meet you." The red program said, shaking Nim's hand before continuing, "So, how did I get this way? Well, I was lucky to be created by a user that evolved and expanded his mind. He started out building his system to the plans of the Flynn, following everything perfectly... but as he saw the beauty and the grace he created, he wanted to become one with his system. He gave up his own world to join us, to be one with us, and... to fully embrace his imagination. No longer were we trapped by the constraints of the first one, we were free... Free to experiment in form, in design. He offered upgrades to any program that wanted them. I choose to become a bat form, like the creator's favorite." San explained slowly. Nim sat still, gazing at the program, his mouth hanging open a little. He had been stunned, amazed. The story was so compelling, so wonderful. Nim's eyes suddenly were downcast, falling to the floor.

"I wish my creator could become one with us." Nim said softly. San slid over, putting his arm around Nim gently.

"Don't worry friend, I'm sure your user cares for you... At least you will be able to see my system. Perhaps then you can inspire your user to join you." San said. Nim smiled.

"That's what I hope for." The blond replied, looking San over.

"So you said you're the same type as your user's favorite?" Nim asked. San nodded.

"Yes, a bat type. Most of those who join the user in his monastery are flying types." San said. Nim smiled, reaching his hand up San's back slowly, rubbing the small of his back in a friendly way before he laid his hand on the program's identity disc.

"It sounds wonderful." Nim whispered before he plunged his fingers into the gap between the disc. Green energy shot out, dancing from Nim's fingers all around the disc. San gasped sharply as his circuits flickered. For a brief moment his eyes and circuits turned green before returning to a normal color. San gasped and then fell back against his seat, panting. Nim smiled, bringing his hand around San's side, resting it on his groin with a playful squeeze. San groaned, pushing his groin into Nim's hand, not even caring when Nim suddenly stopped, distracted.

The void around the solar sailor was growing brighter, almost like dawn was approaching. Nim had never seen anything like it. Slowly he rose to his feet, eyes widening. San whimpered at the loss of the virus' hand. He stood up and pressed against the boy, towering over him, pressing around his shoulder longingly. Nim watched in awe as the light continued to blossom before suddenly light erupted around them. Nim nearly fell back in shock as they entered the system, leaving the nothingness behind them and passing into wonder.

Misty rainbow colored clouds hung around the solar sailor, disrupted as the craft zoomed through them. Nim moved over to the window, putting his hands on the glass, gazing out in awe. The vast outer edge of the system appeared not to be a wall but open sky... a sky unlike Enigma's. It was not black, it was... blue and orange and purple and pink, it was... so much. Nim felt weak in the knees. His eyes followed the sky down to where it met the rippling waves of a sea of simulation, the vast ocean wide and rich. Nim followed the edge where the sea met sky until his eyes fell across a circle half buried in the sea, glimmering brighter than any light he had ever seen, casting light across the entire system. Nim had to look away, his visual processors unable to handle it for very long.

"What is that?" Nim whispered, looking at San, desperate for answers. San looked up out of the window and smiled.

"That is the sun... Welcome to Forge." San whispered. Nim gazed back out in shock. He knew he had to get his user the plans for the portal... To show him the possibilities, to make him build a paradise for his programs... a paradise like Forge. Nim kept gazing out of the window as the solar sailor zoomed on towards its next destination, a floating port high above the ocean.

***

Thrall felt the wind rushing through his fur, his nostrils wide, his horns proud. He stood on the catwalk beneath the solar sailor, the vast sea of simulation beneath him. It was impressive, but not nearly as impressive as what parts of the sky he could see; the light at the horizon fading darker further away, stars desperately twinkling despite the light. It was amazing to say the least, but the bull's wonder was interrupted as the sails before him began rotating. Thrall looked up, watching the indigo wings rotate and tuck back, the whole mass slowing. It would be time to act.

Hooves clanged against the metal as Thrall advanced, making his way to a ladder as the solar sailor slipped into dock. Copper colored metal floated just wide enough on either side to let the sailor come to rest, the platform raised to be even with the doors of the cargo containers. Thrall stopped suddenly as he felt a charge in the air, turning. A wall of glistening white energy was passing through the solar sailor, scanning the contents. Thrall snorted, thinking of Nim. Nim had the stealth, the guile. He could maneuver through the system unchallenged if he could only get in. Thrall had to get him that chance. Thrall broke into a run, charging along the catwalk, all but leaping into the scanner field. As he passed through the light, his circuits flickered. A heavy tone sounded on the platform.

"Warning, virus detected. Quarantine immediately. Warning, virus detected." An automated voice echoed. On the platform countless red guards withdrew their batons, activating them to form long black katanas. Their visors slipped down over their eyes and they charged toward the solar sailor.

"Find that virus! We can't let it into the system! Protect the programs!" The lead guard exclaimed. The guards surged toward the sailor but they suddenly stopped as a massive form leapt out from beneath the craft, landing in front of the guards. He snorted, eyes gazing at them, hunching his head down before he charged. The guards roared, moving toward him. A heavy swing of his arm sent several guards skidding to the ground. Others slashed at thrall but their swords didn't penetrate his armor. They were fighting valiantly, but conventional tactics weren't going to work.

One guard charged at Thrall, his sword directed forward. Thrall swiftly moved, deflecting the sword away before he bucked his head. One of his vast horns skewered the guard through his torso, lifting the impaled program off his feet and pinning him to the wall of the operations room of the platform... but rather than derezzing, green lines spread out through the guard's torso, his body pulsing and swelling. The guard let out a scream, his voice deepening as his chest grew twice as thick, dark hair pushing out of his chin into a goatee before his nose flattened and his face pushed into a muzzle. His helmet shattered from his head as huge horns pushed out and his scream of pain became a moo of pleasure, his groin swelling out wildly before his boots morphed into leather and metal hooves. Thrall pulled his horn out of the new bull, the two turning to face the others.

"I have claimed my first. Who is next?" Thrall called out, looking at the solar sailor. The lead guard looked between Thrall and the craft full of innocent programs. If the guard had been his first, he hadn't infected any others.

"Get that sailor out of here! Cut off his form of escape!" The guard exclaimed, it was only logical. The solar sailor began surging forward, zooming away from the platform and toward the city. Thrall broke into a run, making it look as though he had to get to the craft. More guards tackled him, trying in vain to pierce his tough armor or hide. Thrall only grinned, knowing that Nim would get to Forge. A deep bellow came as his fellow bull as he clattered into the pile of guards, sending them flying in every direction. Thrall grinned. It would certainly be an interesting battle.

***

The steady flicker of simulated candlelight and a sweet, warm breeze filled the vast stone chamber. What appeared to be ancient columns rose up from the stone block floor to support the roof. The back wall held a wide, arched double doorway made of thick wood. The walls to either side had shelves carved into the stone, books and knickknacks sitting on them in an ordered fashion... and where the last wall would have been was only an open space, the room ending in a balcony edged by a knee high stone wall, curved gently along the balcony. Beyond was the vast landscape of Forge, from the other mountain peaks to the vast plains, the hillsides that rimmed the city and the sea of simulation beyond. This was the creator's sanctum.

Kneeling on a wide, flat pillow overlooking the view was Ethan, Forge's user. The young man was taking in the view, enjoying every moment of his life since he had entered his system for good. Ethan's wardrobe had not changed much, though he wore a shimmering violet loin cloth that gave him the slightest bit of modesty. Aside from that, he was completely naked. Bright violet lines glowed on his skin like tattoos, the circuits so bright they almost looked pink on the man.

Three squares glowed brightly on his sternum, stacked vertically. A small hollow ring of light glowed just below them and on his back in the same position. Bands spread out from the rings directly around his sides, up over his shoulders, and down around his ribs to give the appearance almost of a harness. The last line dropped down from the center ring before spitting apart and going down the inside of his legs, the outer flesh marked by chevrons. It was a complex pattern, but Ethan liked complexities. The wide doors suddenly burst open, a tall figure striding through.

"Ethan, a computer virus has made it into the system." The voice said. Ethan rose to his feet, turning around to face Core, his lover and the system monitor. Core was tall and strong, muscled. His arms were covered in glowing double helix lines, a diamond on his chest and small dots of light at various other points. In many ways Core looked less than human. A double set of sharp fangs filled his mouth; his ears were sleep and extremely long points, angled back and up, away from his head. His fingers ended in black claws and his legs ended in bat paws. Despite all of the animal qualities, Core's shaggy hair was bright orange... as were his wild and fuzzy sideburns and the three inch long goatee hanging from his chin. Even in an emergency Ethan found it hard not to be turned on by his creation.

"Where are they now?" Ethan asked, striding toward the door. Core moved to follow alongside him, the two traveling in perfect pace.

"The port platform has been infected and it is being repositioned, the virus is... flying it toward shore." Core said. Ethan nodded.

"Then we have time to intercept. All guards are to go on active alert, units one through eight will position along the shoreline, the rest will beware any other incursions and prepare a fallback strategy." Ethan said. The door to his sanctum shut behind them, the two moving through much more modern hallways. The floors and ceilings were solid white and illuminated, the walls a neutral tan in color. The elevator ahead of them opened, the lift filled with almost entirely red guards. Like Core, most boasted bat paws and claws and fangs, though one had black horns curve from his head and dragon paws. One of them stepped forward, his black hair streaked with red.

"Sir, I think I have found an asset for us in this crisis." The guard murmured.

"Ah, San, what is it?" Ethan asked, moving over. San stepped aside, revealing the young program behind him. His bodysuit was a crisp black, his blond hair quite unique.

"This is Nim, he comes from another system." San reported.

"And you can assist us in this event?" Ethan said, motioning for them all to move toward the hanger.

"I have seen a virus or two in my time... the strategies they employ. I might have some sort of knowledge that could be useful." Nim offered.

"Good, you can tell me what you know while we are on our way." Ethan smiled. Core grimaced.

"Ethan, for all we know he might be a virus himself... He comes from outside the system, his design is unusual, he-" Core was interrupted.

"What, is it his circuits? There were Iso's on the ancient grid that had green circuits, an entire colony of them... And variation is a blessing, as Forge demonstrates. We will not judge anyone by appearance." Ethan said. The doors to the hanger parted before them and Ethan led the way toward a light transport.

"You're right, creator." Core said, eyes downcast at his mistake. Ethan reached out and rubbed his lover's shoulder.

"Don't feel bad, you're just trying to keep us safe." Ethan said. Core cheered up at once. Nim watched the exchange, a smile creeping across his lips.

*** Snorts and murmurs of satisfaction came from the four minotaurs on the floating copper platform, the three new beasts massaging at Thrall's muscles, even licking his neck and cheeks. Thrall stood proudly, his hooves standing in a pile of crimson particles from the guards that had be deresolutioned. Thrall took pleasure in his conversions and pride in his strength, though he still knew it had been a fool's death. They had been crossing the ocean for what seemed like an eternity but Forge stood ahead. Thrall had seen several islands in the distance connected by vast glistening black bridges, but the center of the system, Forge itself, was magnificent.

The virus could see many mountains rising high into the sky, hillsides covered in a strange carpet of green fibrous strands that swayed back and forth, and rich white sandy shores... but he also saw something else on those shores, an army. The shore was lined with red guards, every one just a bit different from the next. Every sort of height and build, some showing features of bats while others had aspects belonging to hawks, falcons, even some dragons. Thrall exhaled slowly. Fighting that many individuals would be quite... difficult.

The light of the perpetual sunrise glinted off an object as it approached from high in the sky, the light jet shimmering as it descended, massive white wings lined with violet folding up as it moved to touch down behind the masses. Two huge landing gear sunk into the white sands before gaining purchase. The engines powered down and the cockpit descended, Ethan sitting in the front with Core and San behind him, the back row of seats holding three more guards and Nim. Nim sprung out of the seat, stepping out of the way so the guards could join the others, though the one that had been sitting nearest him was sporting a massive bulge in his uniform. Nim turned, facing the sea of simulation, eyes rising to the advancing target in the distance... and the minotaur standing proudly atop it.

"Brother..." Nim murmured under his breath. Ethan's bare feet padded out into the sand, Core right behind him. Ethan looked up, feeling a shock of terror in his heart... that a virus had made such advances into his own system. Ethan stared at the platform for a long moment before he turned to his assembled guard.

"Prepare to neutralize the viruses!" He exclaimed. The guards spread their arms, wings of light filling into the gap in hexagons. Nim took a step forward.

"They well be prepared for large numbers, the deletions will be large..." Nim said. Ethan looked at the younger program.

"What would you have me do, send them one at a time to the slaughter? How would that be any better?" Ethan hissed.

"Send me..." Core said, his deep voice reassuring. Ethan turned around, eyes wide.

"No, I can't send you... What if something happened?" Ethan said, moving to hold his lover. Core smiled softly.

"You have my code in the archives... If anything happens to me, well, you won't be alone for very long. I am your protector, it is my duty." Core said. Ethan grimaced.

"I won't send you alone... And I won't send you first." Ethan said, breaking their embrace, "Wave one, attack!" Ethan ordered. Nim watched in terrified awe as a dozen guards pushed off, blasts of energy launching them into the air before their wings caught the gusts and they arched up toward the platform, weapons at the ready. The guards swarmed around the platform. Some used their batons like crossbows, launching bolts of energy. One shot out a grappling hook and caught a minotaur on the chest, trying to tug him off the edge. The minotaur gabbed the line and tugged his attacker from the air, sending him slamming into the platform. He skidded across the surface before a hoof came down on his wing, trapping him in place.

"No!" Ethan murmured, watching as more of the programs started mutating, changing into the beasts. Core bore his fangs. He could take no more of this incursion.

"Wave two!" Core said, running. Ethan reached out for him but Core had already pushed off, launching high into the air. His orange hair whipped around in the wind as his arms spread wide, the red wings catching the air. He could even feel the drag between his elongated fingers. The shore fell further and further beneath him, though he didn't have as far to travel as the first wave had. The platform was still advancing toward the land. Core signaled to the guards on either side of him to split after a moment. All three headed toward the bull standing on the corner before they broke into two directions.

Core suddenly banked right, avoiding a horn that had been thrust his way. He slipped around his attacker before gliding over the platform, landing on the outer edge. Shimmering white squares of light filled in the gap where solar sailors rested, creating a walk space between the two portions. Core's green eyes studied the intruders before settling on one, the largest one, the one that seemed to be watching everything with greater experience. Core flexed the claws of his hands before he charged. He would defend Ethan at any cost. Thrall turned in time to see the elite guard charging at him, looking at how complex the circuits were on his arms. A grin crossed Thrall's bovine face.

Core let out a roar of anger as he lunged, claws slashing at Thrall. Thrall moved, almost missing but Core's claws cut into the program's shoulder, a spray of pixels shattering out, a jagged gap of damaged code left in its place. Thrall punched at Core, his heavy fist coming down hard. Core rolled out of the way just before the fist struck the platform, the copper material cracking under the pressure. Thrall swung another punch but missed again. Core sprung to slash at Thrall's stomach, hoping to give him a more crippling blow. Thrall slid back in shock at how fast the program was, feeling the claws tear into his clothing.

Core grinned with the feeling of victory for a split second before he realized he had missed his target. His claws had torn into the bull's pants, the cloth around his groin too damaged to stay in place. It pulled back, freeing his massive, drooling bovine shaft. The pent up shaft fell free, thick yellowed drops of tainted viral code dripping from the end. Thrall looked down at his shaft and then at the shocked program before grinning. He thrust his hips, flicking his cock at Core. Ropes of precum lashed out, splattering across Core.

"Ugh!" Core grunted in dismay, trying to wipe it off of him... but a heat was infusing his body, the animalistic scent invading his senses. Core grunted suddenly as his groin swelled feverishly, his very long manhood swelling. His bodysuit stretched around his groin as his arousal expanded. Core took a step before stumbling to his knees, his instincts overwhelming. He began tearing at his pants, trying to get to his cock. Thrall walked over slowly, feeling quite pleased. His cock lifted up to full erection, throbbing with need. He reached out, fingers tangling in Core's orange hair. He got a good grip before forcing the bat boy down.

Core gasped in shock before his cheeks bulged with cock. The shaft slipped more and more between his lips, bucking at the back of his throat. Core tried to fight, tried to push it out but Thrall was so strong and the precum made him hornier by the nanocycle. The bull thrust back and forth, grunting with release. Core's hand tugged at his pants before he used his claws to cut the material, releasing his own shaft. The bat hands wrapped around the length, stroking up and down wildly. Thrall bellowed out in lust as he saw the program helpless before him. The image was just enough to send him over the edge. He threw his head back and let out a satisfied grunt as his shaft pulsed, the infected code spilling down Core's throat.

Core greedily gulped the cum down, feeling it infuse him and taint his code, filling his belly. He wanted it willingly, embraced it. A vast tingling spread through his body, his wings flickering and flashing, his circuits pulsing. Each gulp seemed to be changing Core, but not into a bull like the others. His change was more unique. Core's lips began darkening, turning almost grey before they tinged with brown. The coloration spread out across his face, his skin thickening. Core's nose began to contort, the tip shifting to rise up into a bit of a crest, spreading out wider as his nostrils became more slit like. His mouth pushed out around the bull cock into a bit of a muzzle. The program's pointed ears began to flare out wider and move up his head, turning from human flesh color to the brownish grey.

Beneath Core's arms his red light wings flickered before turning black, the hexagonal segments starting to blend together and turn into ever present flesh. The light between his fingers turned into webbing, the digits becoming even longer. Core fondled his cock wildly, feeling it grow even bigger in his hand. Core's muzzle parted before a very long tongue shot out, coiling around Thrall, sucking him off for all he was worth. Thrall howled, spraying the very last of his seed into the program that was now MUCH more bat like, though he still had his intense orange hair and goatee, contrasting greatly with the brownish gray bat hide. After some sucking, Core pulled off the cock, licking his lips eagerly. Thrall smiled, knowing exactly what he was going to have the male do next.

***

Ethan gazed up at the platform, his muscles stiff with concern. He paced back and forth on the sand, his eyes glistening in dismay. He had sent four more waves but they were making no more progress... and Ethan hadn't seen Core. Ethan couldn't live with himself if anything happened to him. Ethan's hands were clenched so tightly that his fingers dug into his palms. He had been second guessing his decisions since the moment Core disappeared from sight, wondering if he would have had the capacity to design some last minute weapon to blow the platform out of the sky, or the ability to localize some sort of reformat of the affected area... but he couldn't do any of that now that Core was there, even if... Ethan's thoughts were interrupted as a hand came down on his shoulder. He glanced over his shoulder, looking into the turquoise eyes of Nim.

"It will be alright." Nim said softly, "Although... it might be time to think up alternative outcomes." Nim said. Ethan grimaced, looking back ahead.

"What do you mean? Chalk them all up? I know it is a risk to the entire system, but I can't... just go and delete them." Ethan murmured. Nim smiled.

"Then don't try... You assume what the virus is after is negative because he was provoked negatively. It can be a positive experience." Nim said. Ethan's back tensed as realization dawned. Ethan moved to spin around but Nim was too fast. The virus grabbed a hold of the user's identity disc, turning as Ethan did before he put his palm in the center of the disc. Bolts of green energy shot out from Nim's fingers, dancing around the inside of the identity disc before the energy crackled over the entire ring. Ethan flinched and panted, Nim shaking. Guards turned, readying their weapons... but they didn't know if their actions would harm their user, their ultimate fear. Several guards advanced, trying to grab Nim but as they touched him, their bodies were thrown back across the sand.

Nim's mind was flooding with information; glimpses of a real sun, riding a bicycle, the smell of rain on pavement, the Seattle skyline, masturbation, coffee... Numbers, the complex infinity of code involved in the Tron system. Nim's circuits were becoming brighter and brighter, flashing, strobing. He shook more and more as a light began spilling out of the disc he was infecting. Ethan suddenly fell forward to his knees on the sand, Nim tugged forward by the move. Ethan felt like he was gasping for breath but his lungs barely moved.

It felt to Ethan in the back of his mind as if his life was replaying, whispers of his experiences dancing on the edge of his consciousness, but there was something else pounding in his mind... His love for Core was there, present, but... something else was there too. It was an urge, a similar need... But for what? It felt like when Ethan was compelled to come into the system to be with Core, but, what else? It was a maddening feeling to be compelled without knowing what for, but then it started to form on the edge of Ethan's mind. A word, first, 'Seeker'. A master? No, that wasn't right. A... friend? No, that wasn't strong enough. A lover? No, Core was his lover... A crush? Yes, that was it. He had a crush on Seeker, whoever Seeker was, and needed to please him, was compelled to please him. But how?

While Ethan was trapped in his own mind, Nim was being overloaded with information and energy. Swirls of lights circled them, moving around like spirits and specters. The beach started to tremble and quake, the ocean growing wilder. The sky was growing darker and darker as a frightful mist was building up above the sea of simulation. Many of the stars above were going dark... and in the eerie eclipse of light, it was Ethan that was emitting the brightest light, spilling out of his back like a fountain. Nim was fighting the raging surge of chaos that a human mind represented, trying to complete his task. The infection was so much slower in a human, so much more subtle...

And then, like the sound of cracking glass, the silence was broken. Nim watched as jagged lines of brilliant white light splintered up his arms, through his shoulders and into his torso, the cracks growing brighter before he burst into a flash of light. Ethan collapsed forward onto the sand, landing with his cheek on the rough white grains. Behind him Nim's identity disc fell to the ground, the ring of color a bright white. The sun returned, the stars resumed their twinkling and the mist of chaos ended abruptly.

Ethan panted gently, his breath drawing grains of sand back and forth slowly. His brain struggled to organize all of the new data he had uploaded into his mind. After many moments he reached out, putting his hand into the sand. Ethan shifted his weight, forcing himself up onto all fours before he stood up all the way. Tiny grains of sand fell from his pale skin, his black hair catching in the wind, green eyes gazing up into the sky. Ethan lifted his hand toward the advancing platform. As if Ethan had pressed a button, the air before his hand shimmered.

The platform stopped its angled advance before it dropped down, touching onto the surface of the sea of simulation like a floating dock. The dock floated to the shore, wedging into the sand so three sides touched water and the last led right onto the beach. Between the eclipse and the sudden change of the platform, the guards and the viruses had come to a stop. Ethan advanced toward the platform, stepping up onto it, looking around. He saw the many minotaurs that stood there, a few of his bat guard that had come to a stop, and...

"Core..." Ethan gasped softly, looking to the beast his program had become. He stood tall with leathery wings, a long member hanging out and drooling, his furry face both animal and man... but the same circuits remained. Ethan all but sniffled, moving over to Core. His hands came up to press to the bat's cheeks, holding the head of his lover in his hands. Ethan gazed into those red eyes, looking for whatever would be left of his lover. Ethan moved forward, pressing his leathery lips to those of his master, his creator, his lover. The lips parted and his incredibly long tongue pushed into Ethan's mouth. Ethan melted into the kiss, clinging to Core, arms locking around him. Core worked his tongue back and forth, slathering every part of Ethan's mouth before he finally broke the kiss.

"Ethan..." Core whispered. Ethan looked him over, up and down and back again.

"You... still care?" Ethan murmured.

"Of course I do!" Core smiled.

"Even given my best infection, his love for you was incorruptible." Thrall murmured.

"As was mine for you." Ethan said to Core, leaning in to put his head on the bat's furry shoulder. Ethan moved, licking at Ethan's neck.

"So... you have been infected too?" Core asked softly. Ethan gave a gentle nod.

"What of Nim?" Thrall asked gently, looking back to the beach. He saw no trace of his friend, his brother. His muscles tensed.

"He requires reinitialization... He can be restored, but as what... I don't know." Ethan said softly. He gestured to one of the guards and then pointed to the disc on the beach. The guard ran to go and retrieve it.

"What of us?" Core asked softly.

"We must go to Enigma and provide Seeker with the information on building a portal, he must be able to walk among our world." Thrall said. Ethan looked over at Thrall, his heart fluttering at the mention of Seeker, as if he was going to be with his crush after so long an absence.

"I will prepare right away..." Ethan said. The guard returned with the white disc, handing it to Core who held it at his side. Ethan turned to the guard. "Return the men to their primary duties. Have construction teams format a new port system. Make it a larger one with more accommodations." Ethan ordered.

"Yes sir." The guard said, moving off. The army on the beach began to disassemble, many pushing off and rising into the air like a flock of birds. Ethan looked back to Thrall and then Core.

"It looks like we will need to arrange a ride." Ethan said, holding up his hand again. The platform shuddered and lifted off from the water, rising into the air. Thrall and Core looked up in wonder, watching as neon blue lines began forming in mid-air, high up where the fiber optic line led to the network, a solar sailor coming into existence.

TO BE CONTINUED